Page 19 of Kentucky Nights (Dead Man’s Ranch #1)

“Everyone has their preferences. Friends? I forgive you for shooting me.” He holds out the hand he had inside my chest, strangely, it isn’t covered in blood.

“Friends.” I grip his hand for a firm shake. “Maybe I need to try to get out of my bubble.”

“You should try. If you choose death, that’s devastating, Kentucky.

You think your world is dark now? You haven’t experienced pitch black.

Sure, you’re weighed down by emotion, but you can’t have that in Purgatory, or it can get you killed.

You have five days, give or take a few, because every couple is different.

I’ll be here to take your souls if that’s what you choose, but please don’t make me reap a friend.

” His hand lands on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.

“I’ll do my best, but I won’t make any decisions for Dru. She has to want this as much as I do. I won’t force her.”

The orange illuminating in the caves of his eyes vanishes, leaving me to stare at an empty abyss.

“I understand,” he says. “Very honorable of you. You’ve always been the most respectful vampire I’ve met.

It’s finally time to enjoy your life, Kentucky.

Give it a chance. I doubt it will disappoint you this time. ”

An owl hoots nearby, probably perched on a low-hanging branch of the tree next to the barn.

“I have to go. Souls are calling for me.” He turns to walk away, flipping the back of his cloak in a drama-filled fashion, and it fits his personality.

“Do you reap humans too?” I ask before he leaves.

“All souls that exist. I don’t work alone. There are thousands of Voids. I have a ton of brothers and sisters.”

“Must be a heavy burden to carry.”

He frowns, a sudden sadness filling the air. “It is. We feel everything. The pain, confusion, fear, sadness, and we even see their deaths. For new Voids, it can be bad. There’s an adjustment period, but the burden never fades, not really. We just learn to live with it.”

And then he is gone, nothing left of his presence except the bullet that is on the floor.

My spurs spin with every step I take to the edge of the loft, needing to feel the breeze against my face.

There isn’t a star in the sky. The galaxy is covered in sardonic clouds promising more rain.

Moisture hangs in the air, the earthy scent of wet dirt has frogs croaking in the distance and singing in the rain.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare down at the house I’ve built with my bare hands, and there’s something so satisfying in knowing my mate is there, safe and sound within the walls I’ve built.

After all this time, maybe I’ve been waiting for a reason to turn this house I’ve spent my entire life perfecting into a home. All of it, every door and window, every add-on, maybe it was all for my mate.

Am I really entertaining this idea of living forever?

I rub my eyes, blowing out a pent-up breath.

It is easier said than done to change the course of what I thought was the rest of my life.

For more years than Dru has been alive, I’ve had a plan.

From the moment I was turned, I knew death was the only acceptable answer, but only when my vampire life came to a natural end.

I don’t know many people who get so many chances to live. Is Dru supposed to be “The third time is the charm” kind of deal? Why now?

A whimper pulls me from my self-inflicted confusion. I zone in on the house below, waiting to hear the noise again.

A few seconds tick by without another sound. “Losing your damn mind.” I wonder if hearing random things is a side effect of not having the bond complete. It has to be.

I press my palms against my eyes and yawn, spinning on my heel to head back to the cot when I hear the whimper again.

And again.

Red colors my vision, my fangs lengthen to prepare to attack. “Dru,” I growl, leaping from the loft. Mud splashes all over my jeans when I land, my boots sinking into the wet ground.

Blurring through the front door and to her bedroom, I pause at the doorway. She’s restless in her sleep. Dru has kicked the quilt I hand-stitched down to the edge of the bed. Sweat pebbles on her forehead while a tear breaks free, sadness rolling down her cheek.

I kick off my shoes, not wanting to get mud all over her bedroom floor, and then realize I have mud on my jeans too.

Fuck.

I blur to my room to get a clean pair of sweatpants, then speed back into her room.

It’s hard to take a breath in here when the air is thick with fear. It’s suffocating, like breathing in a room full of cigarette smoke.

Dru screams, “No! No, please, don’t. No!”

As gently as I can, I lie down next to her. The sheets are damp from her sweat, and the shirt she’s wearing sticks to her skin. She’s burning up. Swallowing my own trepidations, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close to me until my bare chest is against her back.

Brushing her hair behind her ear, I whisper, “You’re okay, Dru. You’re with me. You’re safe. Come back to me, Darlin’. Come back.”

She whimpers in response, her lashes fluttering while she fights to break the hold this dream has on her.

“I’m right here. You’re safe.” I stroke my knuckles up and down her arm, hoping touch lifts the nightmare from her mind.

Another fresh dose of terror fills the room before her eyes open. She turns to me, eyes wide, pupils blown, and she screams, pushing me away by shoving me in the chest.

“Get away from me! Get away!” she shouts, but she doesn’t recognize me. “Don’t hurt me. Please, let me go!”

She’s still dreaming.

I snag her in my arms, placing my fingers under her chin, and force her to look at me.

“Wake up, Dru. You’re safe with me. It’s Kentucky.

You aren’t with him anymore. Come back to me.

Come back.” I kiss her wet cheeks, tasting the salt in her tears.

“I’m not going to let him touch you again, Darlin’.

If he ever tries, I’m going to kill him.

I’ll add his spine to my lasso, okay? I need you to follow my voice.

You can do it.” I stroke my calloused finger down her cheek, appreciating how someone so beautiful could ever exist.

Dru is prettier than any sunset, sunrise, or shooting star I have seen in my old age. I love the freckles dashed across her cheeks and nose, a map showing me where to kiss.

“Kentucky?”

I blow out a breath when she says my name. I hold her close, cupping the back of her head, and press her against my chest.

“I’m here, Darlin’. You were having a nightmare, that’s all. I have you.” I press a kiss to her forehead, loving how she sinks into my embrace. “You’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”

“Kentucky,” she murmurs half-asleep. “So glad it’s you.” Those are her last words before sleep takes her again. She gets comfortable, lying her head on my chest, her palm lying over my heart.

But you know what makes me happiest?

Fear is no longer a ghost in the room. The air is clean with relief.

She isn’t afraid of me, and damn, that alone puts me on top of the world.