Page 39

THIRTY-NINE

Ashley

Josiah’s house was beautiful, and Della looked like a princess sitting on the couch, her hands in her lap. I’d missed her like crazy. Before, I was worried she was in an abusive relationship, but it was very obvious she wasn’t. Not because she had every material comfort a girl could ever want, but because Josiah was absolutely smitten. While we were waiting for Micha to finish a phone call with Matthew, he waited on her hand and foot and had his hands all over her every chance he got.

To me, it seemed like a bit much and I would’ve been swatting the touch away, but she was happy and that was all I cared about.

“I missed you,” I said to her quietly.

“I missed you too. I was so mad. Josiah wouldn’t even let me talk to you,” she said, casting him a disgusted look.

His eyes sought the ceiling as his shoulders slumped slightly. “We talked about this.”

“She’s my best friend; you know this. She would never steal from you guys.” Della’s eyes softened. “This all could’ve been avoided if one of you had bothered to truly listen.”

“Ashley, please accept my apologies,” Josiah looked at me. “Our laws are harsh for a reason, but you were judged unfairly.”

For Della’s sake, I wanted to forgive him. I would have to forgive both of them if I wanted to be around my best friend without their previous treatment of me rankling. “I accept,” I answered.

“Very well,” he replied.

Micha joined us, coming to a stop right behind the chair I was sitting in. He planted his hands on my shoulder before one wound its way up to wrap my neck, sending a shiver along my spine. I tilted my head back to glance up at him, noting he remained shirtless. He was staring off into the distance as if deep in thought.

“Ashley,” Josiah began, and Micha snapped to attention. “You’ll be coming back to Ipomoea as Micha’s assistant.”

“What about Angels?” I asked. I was pretty sure I wasn’t allowed to work anywhere else while employed there. Micha’s grip on my neck tightened the moment I mentioned the club.

Josiah waved his hand. “It's been dealt with.”

“How’s that?”

He glanced at me before answering. “I can be very persuasive when I need to be.” Della scoffed and he pursed his lips at the sound.

Micha leaned down, angling his head above my ear. “If you think you’re going to be dancing for anyone but me, you’re sorely mistaken. Besides, I already told you I need you in office.”

I felt my cheeks turn red. “It was just acting; it didn’t mean anything.”

“Do you not want to return to work with me?” Micha’s voice held an uncharacteristic hint of vulnerability, and my heart twitched.

“It's not an option or an offer—it's an order,” Josiah stated.

My pulse picked up. I was trapped. The strings that now bound me were irrevocable and the thought scared me. Yes, I wanted Micha, and I wanted to be with Della but the finality of it all was overwhelming, I’d been through so much. The smart decision was to dive into what was before me; and it was what my heart wanted.

“Stop overanalyzing,” Della said to me. “Can you really go back to normal life after everything? Since when do you prefer normal?” She laughed at her own words while Josiah studied me.

“She can’t,” Micha said. “Why are we even discussing this? It is done.”

“True. Ashley’s already made her decision.” Josiah stood and poured himself a drink, offering the bottle of blood to Micha after.

“When do I get to decide anything?” I asked.

Micha sipped on his beverage and came around the chair. “You already did, angel.”

“How do you know?”

He dragged his hand through the air in front of me, leaving a sparkling trail in his wake. Colors floated around me, a fine cloud of gold bordering a gentle pink around my heart and a deep red around my groin. When I lifted my eyes, my gaze snagged on his chest and I glanced back down, the red tint around my lap brightening.

“Oh my God,” I wiped my hand down my face. “That’s embarrassing.”

Della snickered, Josiah raised a brow, and Micha looked like he was two seconds away from eating me. “Can we not do this please?” I begged.

Micha fluttered his fingers at me and the vision disappeared. “As I said, you made your decision.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I faced Della.

She had the grace to look sheepish. “Well, it's not something generally talked about. I’m sure you understand. Would you have believed me if I told you my boyfriend was a vampire and demon?”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up my throat. “No.” She widened her eyes as if to say, “Okay then.” I’d never imagined such a thing even existed, before.

“Are you a vampire now? Did he turn you?” I gazed at Josiah accusingly. “Do you have to drink blood?” I asked Della.

“We don’t operate like that. If it came down to it, yes, I would turn her. I’d never let any harm come to her. When we claim someone it's for eternity; it's in the vampire nature. We’re not fickle humans.” He stated the latter with distaste, as if humans were scum.

“But yes, she drinks my blood. Its stops her from aging,” Josiah informed me after a moment.

“Like a glass of it?”

“No. In bed.” I watched in fascination as his teeth elongated and his eyes glittered while he eyed her. I’d never seen this side of the man. He’d always been very formal; kind of stuffy if I were honest. At least around me. It should’ve been terrifying to see him transform, but it wasn’t, not after everything I’d witnessed.

Della’s cheeks flushed and Micha interrupted the heated moment, sliding his thumb over my lips before he said, “We have other matters to discuss.”

“Indeed, we do,” Josiah agreed. “Micha killed an important member of the Second Realm’s government. Two of them, including Samuel.” My pulse started racing at his words.

“Don’t tell me you miss the prick,” Micha growled at me.

“Of course not. It's just a weird feeling knowing he’s gone. I mean, I spent a lot of time with him.” A rumbling sound came from his chest. “I’d have killed him myself, given the chance.”

“I believe it. After all,” Josiah held his hand toward Micha, “you’re certainly capable of trying.”

Della giggled. “It's kinda hilarious you tried to kill Micha.”

“He deserved it,” I snapped, and Micha slowly shook his head at me.

“Your homicidal tendencies toward me aside, it won’t be long before an all-out war,” Micha’s voice was low as he issued the warning.

“Both of you beautiful creatures need to be prepared. You’re going to stay here, in my house until we deem it safe. We have the wraiths, including an army, and of course, multiple guards. Micha and I will work from home as much as possible but there will be occasions we are needed in office.”

“We have a safe room. With snacks in it. A bed,” Della spoke animatedly, seemingly excited over the possibility of being under siege.

“Um, okay,” I said.

She leaned forward. “You should’ve come to Canada with us. I’m so glad I can talk to you about stuff now. I learned how to use a bow and arrow; I can shoot any kind of gun. There’s all these cool spells you can do.”

I gaped at her. This was a whole new side of the girl I’d been inseparable from for years. “Christ. Really?” She nodded, a grin splitting her face.

Samuel hadn’t let me touch any of the cool stuff he’d had laying around his house and if I’d so much as gone within three feet of anything, there was a wraith to ward me off.

“I wanna do that.” I glanced up at Micha.

“No time right now. But later,” he said.

Scanning the room, I tried to peek out the windows as if I would spot an onslaught of angry demons and other supernatural creatures already here and scaling the building.

All I saw were branches swaying in a light breeze and the sunlight sparkling over the Hudson River. Josiah owned prime real estate, a comfortable distance from Manhattan, and it felt safe and secluded.

While I was staring, I spotted a wraith. It took me a second to realize what I was looking at since Samuel’s were shadowed and translucent. This one had form. Its greasy, straggly hair was yellowed and its eyes bulbous, with a tattered cloak streaming behind it as it streaked across the yard. It was headed in the direction of the front door.

“The wraiths here look different. And why can I see it?” I asked no one in particular as it moved out of sight.

“Because you’ve been exposed to different things, and because you’ve seen them before,” Josiah explained.

“I've seen a lot of things I never thought I’d see,” I mused, glancing out the window again.

I sucked in a breath and stood up the same moment there was a heavy knock on the door. The lights dimmed and an ominous energy filled the air.

Josiah stood up. “Della—you and Ashley get in the safe room now. Do not come out until I get you.” Micha waved his hand at a spot on the wall and a hidden door slid open.

Della jumped up from her spot on the couch and took my hand. “Come on,” she said with a frown, pulling at me.

Helplessly, I peeked at Micah again, but he was busy tossing a gun to Josiah. “Okay,” I answered, letting her lead me out of the room.

We went down the hallway before taking another corridor until, finally, she opened a door. “We'll be safe down here,” she assured me.

A staircase led to the lower level of the house and as I followed Della, I could hear voices raised behind me. Grabbing her arm, I asked, “Should we do something?”

“No, we have to get to the safe room.” Della proceeded and my hand slipped away. “Hurry,” she said.

With a backward glance, I trotted after her. The whole house seemed to shake slightly, and Della grabbed my hand, leading me down a dark pathway. We entered a metal room with chains and hooks hanging from the ceiling, every surface shiny and reflective. It was spotless and my shoes squeaked every time my heel touched the floor.

Della opened a door situated between two matching cabinets and we both entered the safe room. I’d been picturing a stark space with a couple folding chairs since the room was mentioned, but that wasn’t what I found. There were cushiony places to sit, a table, bunkbeds, multiple screens, a refrigerator and microwave, and an open door revealing a bathroom complete with a shower.

“Holy crap,” I muttered. “You can live in here.”

“Yeah,” Della agreed, tapping a numerical code into a panel by the door.

After she sat down, we caught up a little bit on superficial subjects discussing Andy and Kayla, and the wedding she’d attended in Canada. It felt like we’d been sequestered in the vault for hours and I had a hard time focusing on our conversation, as good as it was to be in her company again.

“Do you think they’re okay?” I asked, my voice cracking at the end.

Della gripped the edge of her chair. “I don't know. I think so.”

“How would we know if they weren’t? We’ve been in here a long time.” I stood up and started pacing.

She glanced up at me, worry wrinkling her brow. “I think the wraiths are supposed to let us know. Josiah said if anything happened to him, I’m supposed to call his contacts up in Canada and they’ll take me in.”

I stopped wearing a path into the floor. “What about me? Would I go with you?”

“I’m sure Micha would want you to,” she replied.

Micha had never told me what to do if something happened to him. When he was pretending to be Isaac, the rule was to go to Matthew if there was a problem. That was no longer an option. “We never got that far,” I said, worry beginning to fill me.

What would I do if he was ever truly gone? I had no idea. Even during his shunning of me, I’d never let him go. He’d filled my head, remained in my heart, and I’d taken comfort knowing he existed. I couldn’t imagine life without him somewhere in it, even if he was on the outermost fringes.

The safe room was soundproof and there were zero signs of life outside its confines. We might as well have been in outer space. “So, how do we get out of here? Anything could be happening out there, and we have no idea.”

Della shrugged. “We wait.”

“You’re okay knowing Josiah could be getting gutted out there and you’re just gonna sit back?”

Her shoulders slumped. “He said to stay here; there’s nothing I can do, and we’d just get in the way. Have some faith. I’ve seen the two of them fight, they’ll be fine.”

“What’s the code?” I’d walked over to the wall panel and had my finger poised and ready.

She shook her head. “I don’t know it. Josiah never gave it to me for exactly this reason. The exit is different than the entry.”

“Give me your ring,” I ordered her, holding out my palm. She had a massive diamond on her left ring finger.

“What? Why?” Instinctively, she pulled her hands behind her.

I groaned and opened the refrigerator. “Do you have any white cheddar?” Tons of food crammed the shelves. They could’ve served Thanksgiving dinner with its contents.

“You’re seriously hungry right now? What are you doing?” Della joined me, burning a hole into the back of my head as she watched me shoving bunches of lettuce and tubs of artisan dips to the side.

“Here we go.” I pulled out a cellophane-wrapped block of cheese and began opening drawers on the small counter.

After cutting a couple slices, I brought them to the door and waved the pieces around before kneeling on the floor and passing a chunk by the seam between the floor and edge of the door.

“Okay, you’re being a total weirdo, and I’m too stressed out for this,” Della complained.

“Wraiths like cheese,” I told her. “They like cheese and shiny things. I used to distract them at Samuel’s house so I could dump out the poison wine he used to force me to drink. His plants kept dying and no one could figure it out.”

She tugged my shoulder. “There’s no way this is going to work.”

“Yeah, probably not but I’m not gonna just sit here. Get us some weapons.” If the man kept cheese in his safe room, it went without saying he’d have an arsenal.

I traced a line through the air around the door with the cheese while Della rifled through a cabinet. The whirring sound the panel had made was the only noise I’d heard other than the sound of our own voices and the contrast set my nerves further on edge. For all we knew, Micha and Josiah lay dying somewhere in the house or beyond.

She returned with a long blade that she handed to me, and she had a machine gun slung over her shoulder. “That’s it?” I asked. There was definitely more.

She passed me a couple more knives and I stood there a moment. I had no idea where to put them. Then, she passed me some stretchy holders that I subsequently took advantage of. “When did you learn how to shoot guns? What is that?” It was so strange seeing her like this.

“Canada, like I told you earlier” she said, making sure her gun was loaded. “You sure this is going to work?”

The moment she asked, the door beeped, gears turned, and the panel moved. Three wraiths hovered in the doorway, noses twitching. I quickly tossed pieces of cheese to them, and we stepped out of the room.

“Josiah’s gonna be pissed his security system can be breached by dairy products,” Della stated. “He’s going to be beyond furious.”

“I would be, too.” One of the wraiths overheard her statement and its eyes bulged before it disappeared in a plume of smoke.

We stepped across the floor as quickly as we could and then paused by the corner of the wall to listen. Everything was silent.

Were we too late? Realistically, I knew there wasn’t much either of us could do against vampires, demons, or whatever else had come for our men. We didn’t know for sure anyone had come, not having seen a thing, but the air felt heavy, and dread crawled up my spine. Something had arrived, and it wasn’t good.

The oppressive atmosphere grew stronger, the closer we got to the main level. When we reached the top of the stairs, I took a deep breath before opening the door.