White Raven (25 page)

As I stood there staggering, Zane launched at the two charred spirits, laying one hand over each of their hearts, and within seconds their bodies burst into a neon green light. Zane rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding a powerful blast of plasma. His eyes sought mine out. “Why are you still here?” he rumbled.

My knees were knocking. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Piper,” he growled.

“Zane,” I shot back.

“As cute as this lovers’ ssspat is, my patience is running thin.” The bitch was back and taunting us with her hostile prattle. “You think you can take usss all? Not even you, Death Ssscythe are that strong.”

That name always made me shudder. There as an ominous note attached to it, but I couldn’t deny that it suited him. Zane moved, like a phantom of the night.

So. Dang. Hot.

I felt the ground quake beneath me, and I thought,
Not again
.

Bright bluish balls of fire formed on the palms of the guy standing behind the ground-trembling girl. They shot past her, fizzling directly at Zane and me. I ducked, but between the shaking ground and trying to avoid being singed, I biffed it, falling face-first into the grainy sand. Heat blew over me, the embers crackling in the air.

Each time I tried to regain my balance, the ground moved and I was sent back down, eating sand. Zane flung a bolt of darkness at the guy with blue fiery hands at the same time he engaged a hallow in one-on-one combat. Just as he landed a few solid hits, two more bastards launched at him. Arm outstretched, Zane clotheslined one and then struck the other with the bottom of his foot. The impact spun the greasy bastard around, and as he came back, something slick and oily shot toward Zane. He dodged, barely missing the sticky missile of ooze, and in the process gave me a heart attack.

“Jussst give up. You can’t defeat usss all,” the traitor hissed, and then Zane punched him squarely in the mouth, and suddenly he was too busy spitting blood and falling to his knees to shout anymore.

“Move and I’ll split you open from crotch to throat,” Zane threatened.

My lips twitched.

I took a quick headcount. Two more hallows dispatched. It was impressive. Zane had singlehandedly destroyed four hallows in record-breaking time, because let’s face it; I was useless. That left three. Fiery hands guy. Ground-shaker girl. And the tank. The last guy bulldozed his way through everything, coming straight for Zane.

Stumbling to my knees, I pushed the hair out of my face. I didn’t care that I had dirt in places it shouldn’t be or that my hair looked like I had shampooed with sand. I saw what was going to happen next like it had been set to slow motion.

The tank charged straight for Zane, tackling him to the ground in rage so potent it literally flickered around him in a haze of red and reached out, touching the world. Branches shook, sending leaves raining down in a path behind the Tasmanian devil.

I felt it in my bones, the jarring, teeth-rattling impact. Anyone else would have been knocked unconscious. Zane wasn’t human, but that didn’t mean he was impenetrable. His body went up, spiraling through the air.

“Zane!”

Chapter 26

My scream tore through me, amplifying my fear, and like a switch, my fear turned to anger and desperation. He landed in a bumpy heap, a few feet away, his body twitching from electric currents. Blood oozed from his nose and the side of his mouth.

I tried to move, to run to his side, but I couldn’t. Both my arms were being held, and no matter how much I fought, I was going nowhere. It was the girl with earthquake abilities. She yanked my hair, snapping my head back.
Skank
. I bit back a yelp.

She held my head so I was forced to look at Zane. The one who look like a juicehead hovered over Zane. “It’sss over, little Raven,” the bastard hissed. “He will die, and so will you.”

Zane turned toward me, his eyes locking with mine. I would never forget the regret in that one look. Tears burned the back of my eyes, my sorrow cutting through me. He tried to sit up as I struggled to break free, fury flashing in his hardened gaze.

He should have taken the last of his strength to save himself instead of wasting it on me. The two guys advanced on Zane, tag teaming him. A pulse of blue light zapped through the air, striking him in the gut and sending him back to the ground. Before he could catch a breath, the guy built like a semi rammed him in the shoulder. The two of them went sliding across the beach.

The sight of Zane lying unmoving and defenseless shattered every corridor of my heart. “No!” I bellowed, my hands flying to my mouth.

I couldn’t lose another person.

I couldn’t lose Zane.

This was so freaking unfair.

If I had been raised as he had, knowing what I was, what I was capable of, I would have been able to save us, give us a fighting chance, but as it stood, I would have to witness another person I care about die.

The shadows around him and in his blood wavered, and I could feel his pain—his remorse. I didn’t know if it was him or me opening up, but I knew our souls were grasping at one another.

At the last split-second, Zane slammed his hand onto the center of deputy douchebag’s chest. The look on the ghost’s face was pure shock. He had underestimated Zane, something that was never wise.

I didn’t think. Not about myself or the girl behind me. All I could think about was Zane. Taking advantage of the distraction, I gave one hard yank, breaking free from the hands that bound me. I knew I didn’t have more than a few seconds before they caught me again.

Falling to my knees in front of him, tears fell freely down my cheeks. I pleaded with him with my eyes to not leave me.

“Give me your hand,” he croaked.

I looked at him like he was nuts. Shaking my head, I put my finger to his lips. “Now is not the time to hold hands,” I managed to say.

One arm extended out toward me. “Now, Piper! Trust me.”

Heart breaking, I reached out, my fingers encircling his. His was cold, so very cold. With the slightest pressure, Zane wrapped his hand around mine and squeezed, as if to reassure me. A sob broke on my lips, the darkness in his veins flickering, but the coolness of his soul continued to climb up my arm, wrapping me entirely. I knew what he was doing.

Soul merging. Soul transfusion. Soul mishmash. Or something crazy like that.

He was sharing or giving me his powers through the connection of our souls and, in the process, using the last of his strength in some hero attempt to save me. Fool.

“No!” I shouted, shaking my head. “I won’t let you.”

He was not going to sacrifice himself for me. The harder I tried to pull away to break our connection, the tighter I could feel his grip. The jerk refused to let me go. I begged him, but it was useless. He was a stubborn mule.

It wasn’t fair. Zane didn’t deserve this, and I wasn’t going to let him die because of me, to save me. What was the point? So what if he gave me his powers? I would still die. It would be all for nothing. Injustice and hatred pooled inside me, reaching to my core.

Power. The word filled me with anger. It was because of power that I was in danger—that I would probably die. I couldn’t understand the purpose behind it, coveting power, trading a life for power. The reapers greed for it was going to be their downfall, and I finally understood what Rose had meant. How important she was.

And then out of nowhere, something unexpected…something unexplainable happened.

My head fell back. A pulse of light shot down the center of my chest, and intensity burned behind my eyes so brightly I thought I would go blind. Power like I’d never felt built inside me, my hair flying out around me. The impact left me energized, weightless.

Hope sparked.

I wasn’t going to die today.

And neither was Zane. I refused to let him leave me here alone. Not going to happen, bucko.

It was only two hallows and me.

That was what I concentrated on, not Zane, not what had just happened, but on the two bitter spirits. I wanted them gone. I wanted them destroyed. I wanted them to pay. I wanted to wipe their very essence clean from this plane. Every fiber of my being was centered on them.

Power gathered inside me, coiling. White lightning filled my veins, shimmery and mystical. My power. Their destiny was in my hands. I saw the second they realized their death was imminent. I wanted them to know it.

Gliding to my feet, the sky erupted in a violent crack of thunder. The howling winds picked up in force, thrashing around me, but never touching me. Inside the light built and built, until I could no longer hold onto the cord. With a wild cry, I let it go.

I never touched them, but I felt the power leave my body and heard the gentle hiss through the air. Stunned, I watched as the pure white flash of light stayed true to its targets, slamming into the center of the unnatural beings’ chests. Their figures spasmed, the edge of their forms rippling until there was nothing left but the flare of my power.

I stumbled backward.

Holy shit.

I couldn’t believe it. I mean, yeah I’d wanted to hurt them, but wow, I’d actually done it. No one was more shocked by the discovery than me. I blinked.

“Piper?” Zane’s voice was barely a whisper, but I heard him clearly.

My face spun toward him. He was sitting up, watching me with careful eyes. “You’re alive.” I released a tired breath. I thought I saw the corners of his lips twitch, but I couldn’t be sure because I threw myself in his arms.

“Hey, take it easy,” he groaned.

I let up slightly, but kept my face burrowed into his shoulder. “Oh, sorry.”

Strong arms trembled around me. “That’s not what I meant. I can handle a hug. I was talking about that massive amount of power you unleashed. I’ve never seen anyone do that. You didn’t even lay a finger on them.”

I sat down beside him, our thighs touching. My lips turned down. “I’m more concerned where it came from. Did you—?”

He shook his head. “I wanted to, but you didn’t cooperate as usual.”

“Christ. Don’t. Ever. Scare me like that again. I thought—” I dragged a shaky hand through my ratted hair. “I mean it, Zane. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.”

He brushed his nose against mine, inhaling deeply. “I’m fine. You can’t kill awesome.”

I let out a part laugh, part sob. “Jerk.” He knew just what to say to lighten the mood. Looking at him smirking, my heart quickened. He was going to be okay. We were going to be okay.

His eyes lit up, crinkling at the corners. “I knew you had potential, Princess.”

“Awesome,” I replied dully. Unless I couldn’t count, that was four souls this summer. “I’d rather not ever do that again, if it is all the same.”

“Admit it; you like it.”

The thing was, I did like it, but I refused to bask in it. I didn’t want this power or the responsibility, but the reality was still the same. “Why do I get the feeling that power like that doesn’t come without a hefty price?”

His lips pulled into a lopsided grin.

~*~*~

I emerged from the bathroom freshly showered and hurting. The hot water did very little to ease my bones and aching muscles. Zane had shown me into their guest bedroom, handing me a T-shirt that was probably Zoe’s and a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms to change into. They were warm, smelling clean and faintly of laundry detergent. I had tossed my ruin clothes in the trash, wishing I could burn them. They were a nasty reminder of a night I desperately wanted to forget for many reasons.

Zane was lounging on the bed, looking exhausted, young, and enticing. Dark, damp curls fell over his forehead and at the nape of his neck. He must have cleaned up while I was scrubbing away the grim, trying to erase any reminders. My skin was polished and as soft as a newborn’s bum.

He insisted I stay the night at his house, and I hadn’t needed much convincing, but not because he was irresistible and scrumptious. In this case, it had nothing to do with how often I’d dreamed about being alone in a room with Zane with a bed. I stayed because I was being hunted and I was afraid. Who knew what was out there waiting for me? This was the safest place on the island.

“You okay?” I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped slightly under my weight as I inspected his face. The cuts were barely noticeable, and the yellowing of bruising was starting to fade.

“I’ll be fine. Nothing sleep won’t cure.” He paused, eyes fixed on mine. “You could have just left me there and run, like I told you. You should have, Piper.”

“I-I couldn’t just leave you.” The thought filled me with dread. I averted my eyes, not wanting to think about it. “I never would have been able to forgive myself.”
Or forget about you
, I silently added.

He folded his muscles, lips thinning. “Still, you can’t be so careless with your life—so reckless.”

“I know,” I whispered, but what I didn’t say was that his life, in the heat of the moment, had been more important to me than my own.

“You saved my life. Thank you, Princess.”

Hell must have frozen over, because he sounded sincere. Words stalled on my lips as I stared at him, goose bumps covering my arms. I didn’t know what to say. Your welcome seemed so ridiculous since I really had no idea how I’d managed to zap the hallows into nothingness. I wrapped my arms around myself, peering at the closed door and then back to him. “Will you stay with me tonight?” Knowing it would put him in a comprising spot didn’t stop me from asking. I didn’t want to be alone, and he was the only person who could make me feel safe.

His brows wrinkled.

“I’m not trying to seduce you or anything,” I quickly added, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. “I don’t want to be left alone.”

“I know. It’s just—”

“Look, you don’t have to,” I interrupted. “Forget I said anything.”

“Piper, it’s because I want to that makes me think it’s a bad idea.” His voice was strained.

My belly did a twisting motion. “Oh.”

He pulled back a corner of the blanket. “Come here.”

I searched his face for a moment before climbing up the bed. He had scooted to one side, leaving me plenty of room, but I wanted to be close. We lay there side by side, staring at the ceiling, his arms crossed over his chest. A strange silence descended over the room as I picked at the gray blanket. I was hyper-aware of him. His slow, steady breaths. The coolness radiating off his body. His earthy, rainfall scent.

Minutes ticked by. Unable to stand the quiet another nanosecond, I turned on my side, facing him.

He stared back at me, a crooked grin on his lips. “You should try to get some sleep.”

I wanted to touch him. “Why is this so awkward?” I asked, grinning. It felt wrong feeling anything but apprehension after what had happened, but smiling relieved some of the tension in my limbs.

“Because the last thing either of us wants to do is sleep.” He unfolded his arms and tugged me closer. I needed no persuasion. “That’s better,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my hair.

My chest squeezed as he tucked me into the nook of his arm. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

“You don’t need to worry. They won’t come back, not tonight.”

“Encouraging, but that’s not it.” I pressed my cheek to his chest. “I can feel them. The souls.”

“That’s normal.” His voice rumbled under my ear. “You’ll get used to it the more you—”

“No.” I shook my head. “I won’t do that again. I can’t.”

“Piper, it’s not something you can swipe under the rug and ignore. That’s not how this works. Being a reaper isn’t a choice. It’s your birthright.” He stretched out his legs, shuffling a bit to get comfortable. “Anyway, I doubt I’ll get much sleep either.”

I glanced up. “Why?”

His fingers brushed through my hair. A sweet thrill jolted over me. Such a basic touch, but every nerve ending in my body felt it. “You’re glowing again.”

Sure as shit, the veins in my arms were lit up a pearly white. I was like my own personal nightlight. Fabulous. I couldn’t suppress the giggle. “I can’t seem to control it.”

He chuckled. “I don’t mind. And you’ll learn. You’ve already proven to be a quick learner.”

“God, I still can’t believe that was me back there.” I absently placed my hand on his chest.