The bitter aroma of coffee drew Elena to the small kitchenette where Sebastian stood, wearing a pair of low-waisted jeans and nothing else.
She appreciated the view, imagining running her hands along the long planes of his back, the muscle shifting beneath her fingers. Water dripped down his shoulders from his damp hair. She longed to lick that water away.
A shade flickered into being.
“Oh, my.”
The shade filled the entirety of Sebastian’s back, a tawny lion, mouth open in a roar. She took a step closer, entranced by the vividness of its colors.
He turned and smiled at her. She forgot the lion; crystallized his expression into memory.
“Afternoon. Hope you don’t mind. I thought I’d surprise you. This hotel room must have cost David a fortune. There was a fully stocked fridge!”
He lifted bacon from a pan on the stove to a plate. The smell made her mouth water. He caught her looking and smirked. “Hungry again?”
“Shut it, you.”
He tilted a perfect tomato and cheddar omelet onto the plate.
“Is this what you’re always like in the morning?” she asked.
He winked. “Only when I wake up next to a beautiful woman.”
Uncertain how to respond, she cut a piece of omelet and stuck it in her mouth, resolving to compliment him regardless of how it tasted. An unfamiliar tangy flavor hit her tongue. “Ohm-god,” she said, her mouth full. “So good!”
He beamed. “My grandmother’s secret recipe.” He pulled out a chair and joined her. Their legs were so close she could feel the heat of his thighs. She ran his foot along his shin.
“Coffee?” she rose from her chair.
Sebastian waved a hand for her to stay. “I got it.” He poured them both cups, hers without milk or sugar.
He remembered. Her stomach fluttered with affection.
Sebastian took a sip from his mug. “I’m wondering what we do next.”
“Must you?”
He stared at her.
She sighed. “Just once, I wish I didn’t have to bother about all of this.” She stole a piece of bacon from his plate and chomped on it. “Outside those walls, so many things are waiting for me. But in here,” she took his hand and squeezed. “It’s just us. Two people eating breakfast together. No killers or ghosts or shady organizations. I wish it could stay like this.”
The pained look in Sebastian’s eyes cut her to the core. She slipped her hand away, but he caught it with both of his.
“It can. Sandra could get us new passports. We could leave the country.”
She shook her head. “I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work. You just keep running, forever. It gets really tiring.”
“Okay,” he said. “Then let’s do this. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Together.”
“Agreed,” she said, her heart swelling at the thought.
A knock at the door interrupted the moment.
“Ignore it,” she said, kissing his neck.
Another knock, and then a soft voice called. “Housekeeping.”
Sebastian groaned. “I’ll flip the do not disturb sign over.” He kissed her once on the lips, then again on the cheek. “You need anything?”
She fell back onto the couch. “Some ice, if you don’t mind.” She touched the back of her head. “It still aches.”
****
Sebastian picked up his discarded robe from the back of a chair in the kitchen and shrugged it on. Less for warmth and more to avoid housekeeping staff from spying on his raging erection.
God, Elena.
He’d never been so consistently aroused, not since he was a teen. Every touch, every look she gave him made his pulse race. Even after spending himself several times over the past few hours, the thought of her languishing in his arms made him hard as a rock.
He closed the robe around his waist and grabbed the ice bucket from on top of the kitchenette counter. The door to their suite was propped open by the latch, so he assumed whoever had knocked on their door had bustled inside, although he didn’t see any carts.
Probably giving us more towels or something.
He made sure his hotel key was in his robe pocket, then exited out into the hallway, not bothering to put on shoes or the flimsy slippers the hotel had provided with the robes. With the ice bucket tucked under his arm, he followed the soft humming sound until he found the huge black machine at the end of the hall. He placed the bucket beneath the dispenser and was about to press the lever when a voice spoke.
“How is she?”
He turned to see David standing in the middle of the hallway, his hands clasped behind his back, a look of concern written across his face.
“She’s been through a lot,” Sebastian replied. “We both have.”
David grimaced. “I should’ve come back sooner. I owed her that much.”
Sebastian hit the lever, waited until it was full of ice, then faced Elena’s lawyer. “Why? You’re not her father.”
A pained look crossed David’s face before he sighed. “I promised her mother I would look out for her, but keeping an eye on her is a full-time job.”
Sebastian shuffled the ice bucket. David’s admission reminded him of Chloe, how he’d tried so hard to watch over her after Edward’s death.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think she blames you for anything that happened,” Sebastian said. He remembered what Chloe had told him through Elena’s body. “And it’s not too late. There’s still a killer.”
David frowned. “You’re not going after him on your own, are you? I can’t support such a foolish action.”
“Suit yourself,” Sebastian said, passing David. He reached for his key card to unlock the door, juggling the ice bucket. He got the door open and took two steps inside when a searing pain started in his chest. It was so intense like he’d been doused in gasoline and set on fire. The ice bucket thumped to the floor. He screamed, but no sound came out. His body continued to move, but he couldn’t control it.
He fought back a rising tide of panic that threatened to drown him until suddenly he wasn’t in the hotel but surrounded by a dense mist.
Pretty awful when all you can do is watch, isn’t it? A soft voice in his head whispered. I’m so tired of watching. Trust me, this is better.
He tried to talk and remembered he couldn’t.
Don’t bother, the voice continued. It took me ages to figure out how to break myself from that monster. You’re not going anywhere until he’s done with you.
The mist thinned, and a small rabbit hopped out. Its body was white but with large splotches of gray on its hips and ears. It rose on its hind legs and sniffed the air. I know you, don’t I? Yes, you’re the one Elena often talks about. Castillo, something.
Sebastian reached out, but it was difficult, like he was neck-deep in black sludge. Even his thoughts were sluggish.
The hare fell back on its front legs and flattened its ears to its back.
He’s coming.
Then, before Sebastian could call out, ask the hare to stay with him, it hopped back into the mist and vanished.
Elena.
Finally, he managed a thought, and with it, an image of her face flashed in his mind. Had she escaped, or was she at the mercy of the creature holding him hostage?
The mist parted again, but this time it wasn’t the hare that stepped out but a teenager dressed in a graphic T-shirt and ripped jeans.
Edward.
“Look at you,” his brother said with a sneer. “Pathetic. I thought you, at least, would give me a challenge, but no. You were just as easy as the others.” He rolled his eyes. “I hope Elena has more fight in her, or this is going to be one seriously boring day.”
No! His thoughts slowly ramped up, fed by his anger and confusion. It was you.
Edward put his hands on his hips. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific, my dear brother.”
You killed Chloe.
Edward grinned. “Oh, yes, that was me.”
Why?
“You know our sister, like a bitch with a bone.” Edward scowled. “But that’s enough from you. I don’t want to be late for the main event.”
Edward!
Again, it was too late. His brother vanished into the swirling clouds, leaving Sebastian alone with his thoughts.
****
After Sebastian left with the ice bucket, Elena laid out on her back and savored the warmth in her heart and the butterflies swirling in her stomach. Once they figured out the murder, she’d put real effort into their new relationship.
She peeked beneath her clothes at the snout of the boa, remembering how Chloe had possessed her without expelling her consciousness. If she could harness that, maybe the shades could help find the killer.
She shrugged out of her sweater, then concentrated. Instead of keeping herself protected, she expanded her mind to every flicker of shade nearby. Given that they were in a hotel, there were a lot of them, shining like thousands of stars.
She opened her eyes.
Shades formed on her skin, some done in a loose watercolor style, others in a traditional Japanese flowing pattern. The one thing they had in common was an utter lack of movement. Each stared up at her as if waiting for a response.
They were waiting for this. They wanted to help but couldn’t until I asked.
Goosebumps spread up her arms. Despite the activity of the past few days, her body thrummed with energy. She took a steadying breath. What she was preparing to do was dangerous, even life-threatening. The shades might take control, drive her to madness, or kill her outright. But she needed them.
She used her most authoritative voice. “Do you understand me?”
The shades buzzed in place.
“I know we haven’t been on the best of terms,” she said. “But I’m asking for help. There’s a shade that wants to kill me. A powerful one. I need your help to fight it.”
She examined them one by one. The small snail by her elbow, its shell an intricate design of triangles. A dog of a breed she couldn’t recognize sitting by her wrist lines crisp and sharp. The detail on his collar standing out to her, an alligator fabric. Many more littered her arms and chest. “There must be something you want from me. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Just help me.”
Silence. She feared the shades would refuse or reject her offer. Then, between one breath and the next, they vanished.
She slipped her sweater back on and hoped the shades would find their target.
Then her phone started vibrating from her pocket, and she reached for it. When she didn’t recognize the number, she rejected the call and tossed her phone on the table. The back of her head pounded.
“Sebastian,” she called. “You back there?”
There was no response.
Her phone vibrated again, making a loud noise as it rotated around the table. Elena shoved it into her pocket. Whoever it was, they could call her as many times as they wanted. She didn’t have to answer. She rolled off the couch and checked the bathroom for painkillers. When she found nothing, she walked through the connecting door to the other room, where the ice bucket lay on the ground. Ice spilled out of its mouth and onto the floor.
That’s weird.
She exited the room and walked a few feet to the ice machine, but there was no sign of Sebastian. She looked up and down the hallway. There weren’t any housekeeping carts.
Her phone rang.
Filled with a sense of urgency she didn’t fully understand, she fished out her phone and pressed accept.
“Elena!” Sebastian cried through the phone. “Don’t do anything he—” There was the sound of a scuffle, then a distorted voice said, “Cain house, one hour, or your boyfriend dies.”
Click ****
Elena clutched her phone as she paced the suite.
“Please pick up, please pick up.”
The line rang without connecting, and after the fourth attempt, she slammed her phone down on the table with a cry.
What the hell am I going to do?
The Harvester had almost won the last time they’d fought. It had only been her anger and desperation to keep Sebastian from being hurt that had given her the boost she needed. The odds of pulling that off a second time were slim. But she couldn’t just let the monster do whatever he wanted to Sebastian.
She picked up the phone again, staring at it for several long minutes before dialing a number. It was a long shot, but she was desperate.
“Stillwood police,” Sandra started before Elena cut her off.
“I need your help.”
“Elena!” The sound of papers shuffling. “What’s wrong?”
“I—Well…”
They record these calls.
“I understand,” Sandra said. “Can I call you back at this number?”
She blew out a sigh of relief. “Yes.”
Sandra hung up, and Elena cupped her phone in her hands, staring at it until it began vibrating again. She accepted.
“Okay, lay it on me,” Sandra said.
Elena licked her lips. A serial killer kidnapped Sebastian, and I need your help to get him back. Was that too much? Would Sandra go off and tell Roth or her father? Maybe involving someone else was a bad idea.
“Is this about the case? Did you find something?”
“Not yet. We were getting ready to come up with a plan when Sebastian was—well, he—I think the killer took him.”
A beat of silence. “Did a ghost tell you?”
Elena had to swallow before she found her words again. “How do you know about that?”
A snort. “Girl, you’re not the only one who is gifted around here. Those fools at Haven have been trying to recruit me for years.”
She already knows. Oh, thank God.
She quickly filled Sandra in on everything that had happened since they had left her place. “Then my phone rang, and it was Sebastian, telling me not to come after him. So, it must be—”
“A trap, obviously.” A gusty sigh. “You’ve sure had some fun without me, haven’t you? Okay, you head over to the house and confront this bad boy. I’ll be right behind you, and I’ll bring the cavalry with me.”
****
The wind ruffled Elena’s hair, spreading it out behind her like a black cloud against the landscape of trees surrounding the house. She gathered it up and shoved it under a woolen cap.
Per Sandra’s instructions, she’d waited as long as she dared before taking a very expensive cab out of the city. Her driver, a sweet old Black man, had questioned her choice of being dropped off at such a remote location, but she’d tipped him extra and promised she knew what she was doing.
If only I really did.
Courage faltering, she walked on, breath forming clouds of frost.
The porch of her childhood home was dark, creating an area hidden from the view of the house. If the perpetrator was waiting for her, they’d be there. The spot provided the most likely area for an ambush. It went against her better instincts, and she had to force her feet to continue moving.
“Hello?”
She concentrated on the crunch of dead leaves and scraps of wood beneath her feet.
A pile of rocks sat beside the porch. She tensed as she passed them.
Please don’t let me down, Sandra.
Going into the situation without any real plan filled her with anxiety, but she pushed forward. She fought an internal struggle to remain calm, keeping her head high.
She climbed up the porch and unlocked the door.
A cold object pressed up against her scalp. She heard a click, like the safety of a gun being turned off. She jerked to a stop, then turned her head slightly so she could see her attacker’s face.
Goose flesh prickled up her arms. “Hello, David.”
“Hello, dearest,” the creature inhabiting her lawyer replied. “It seems our little game is finally over.”
“If you say so,” she replied.
“Well, as nice as it is to see you again,” David said. “I’m going to have to ask you to keep moving. We’re on a schedule, you see.”
She opened the door, and David followed, keeping the object pressed against her skull. She struggled to keep her calm.
“Stop there,” David said.
She turned, expecting to stare down the barrel of a gun, but it was only a flashlight. The plaintive hooting of an owl sounded in the distance; the door was still open.
Now!
She yanked the stun gun from her pocket and slammed it into David’s neck. She expected him to collapse, but he batted away the weapon as if it bothered him no more than a mosquito bite.
“Please,” he said disparagingly. “Do you know how long I’ve been doing this? It would take something a lot more powerful to take me out, dearest.”
So much for that.
She shuffled back and glared at him. “What have you done with Sebastian?”
David smirked. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s enjoying a long nap in your favorite place.” He gestured with his flashlight to the hallway closet. She glanced at it, then back at David, before shoving past him and up the stairs, then throwing open the door.
It was empty.
From behind her, David burst into laughter.
She whipped around and charged him, determined to do whatever it took to get Sebastian back. But before she could make it halfway across the room, he drew a gun out from behind his back and pointed it at her.
She froze.
“Not quite my style, I know,” David said. He tossed the flashlight aside. “As they say, get with the times. I think we both agree my approach has been less than successful.”
She glared at him. “Where is he?”
David walked backward into the kitchen, then opened the pantry door with the hand not holding the gun. Sebastian fell out, smacking his head against the floor. There was duct tape across his mouth, and heavy rope wrapped around his body from his shoulders to his waist.
“Sebastian!” She jerked forward, one hand stretched out, but stopped when David shook his gun.
Please let him be okay.
She scanned every inch of him for injury. His eyes were closed, his face covered in scratches.
“He wasn’t much fun,” David said. “What a waste of time.”
The blood rushed from her face, and the world blurred. She kept her arms raised and was careful not to move, not to provoke him.
“I don’t understand,” her voice broke. “Why not just take me? I know you can. You’ve done it before.”
David grinned. “See, that was my original plan. Then you led me here, and I discovered something better. An entire group of you, like a buffet just for me.” He licked his lips. “I thought I’d found my way in, then that brat confronted me. She refused to help me find Haven.”
Her mind whirled. “It was you. You killed Chloe.”
David grinned. “Guilty.”
A flicker of white on his chest below the jacket caught her eye. A snowy rabbit peeked at her. She took it as a sign there was some part of David’s soul left.
It took a significant effort to keep her voice neutral. “You can’t kill me.”
He laughed and gave her a horrifying mockery of a smile. “Why not? This town is like a circus. I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking, gathering like this. It makes it so much easier to pick you off, one by one.” He grinned. “How about this? Get me into Haven, and I’ll let you go. Once I have all those delicious souls, I won’t need you.”
Her heart pounded, adrenaline pumping through her veins. He offered her another chance at life. If she left, he would wait until she was too far to notify Haven, then mount his attack. But what did she owe them, anyway? They’d sat by and allowed dozens of others to die.
“Well? What do you say?” David took a step closer.
“Give me a minute to think about it.”
What was there to think about? They wanted to cut her wings, keep her locked away. Maybe the world would be better off without them.
In a split second, Elena’s life unfolded before her like an origami crane. If she took that path, many would suffer. She’d never see Sebastian and Sandra again. She might live another month, another year, maybe even another decade before the shades sent her to her grave, every moment spent on the run. Was a life of constant fear worth living?
With a start, she realized she’d made the choice once before. In choosing to run from Stillwood, she’d hurt Sebastian and Chloe.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“No. I won’t run away.”