Chapter 13
LYRA
Inursed the drink I’d been holding all night, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Out of nowhere, arms wrapped around my midsection, yanking me backward. The sharp click of a door closing sent panic surging through me. A rush of excitement mixed with fear washed over me.
“Have you been avoiding me?” The voice whispered in my ear.
“No,” I said, my voice breathy. I turned, and disappointment flared inside me. “Of course not, Dylan.”
“It’s been weeks.” His hands cupped my ass. “I missed you.” He nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck, kissing the tender spot near my collarbone. Dylan only missed me late at night or when he was drunk. Based on the stench of his breath, he wasn’t sober.
As he kissed my neck a sinking feeling hit me. The kiss I shared with Grey had ruined me for all other men.
No. Shit, shit, shit.
I shut my eyes tight and slammed my lips against Dylan’s.
Desperate for even a hint of the feeling I experienced last night.
But I felt nothing. Even as Dylan deepened the kiss and his hands roamed over my body, I didn’t feel the overwhelming need for more, or that I would rather die from lack of oxygen than pull away.
I broke off the kiss, trying to keep the disappointment from my face.
“I knew you missed me, too,” he said, fidgeting with the button of my jeans.
“Hurry up in there.” Someone banged loudly, slamming their knuckles against the flimsy door. “Some of us need to take a piss.”
“Dylan.” I looked up, and my heart dropped. A woman with short, black hair stood behind him. She was frail, her bones jutting beneath porcelain skin, and her vision clouded by milky eyes.
“Leave me alone!” I screamed, twisting free of Dylan’s hold as my hand flew to the doorknob. But it wouldn’t budge.
“Lyra.” Dylan’s eyes went wide. “What’s wrong?”
My back collided with the wall as a wrinkly hand gripped my shoulder, stealing the breath from my lungs and sending my legs buckling beneath me.
A loud crack sounded, and the door flew open. My shoulders sagged in relief as Grey barreled through the door.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” Grey asked, shoving Dylan against the wall with a thud.
“I didn’t do shit! She freaked out for no reason.”
“Grey. Please—” The words died on my lips. I wasn’t sure if I was asking him to leave or asking for his help. “It was here,” I whispered, hating how my bottom lip quivered and my hands shook. “It was here,” I repeated again.
“Lyra, look at me.” Grey’s fingers rested under my chin and tilted it upward until our eyes met. “Tell me what happened.”
“A spirit…” Tears clung to my lashes as I tried to blink them away.
“Dude, get your girl and get the fuck out,” a guy yelled from the doorway.
“I’ve got this,” Dylan said, trying to force himself between us.
“Back the fuck up,” Grey warned, baring his teeth. They were more canine than human. Pointed and sharp, ready to rip Dylan to shreds.
“Lyra?” Dylan tried again. “Are you okay?” Genuine concern laced his tone.
“I’m fine.” I gave a fake smile, trying to pretend like I hadn’t just lost my mind in front of everyone.
“Dylan!” A girl forced her way into the bathroom and grabbed his arm, clearly marking her territory. “I was wondering where you ran off to?”
Great, more witnesses to my mental breakdown. I needed to get out of here. Now.
Grey seemed to sense my growing dread and helped me stand on shaky legs.
“Oh my god. I told you she was a freak.” The girl laughed and the others joined in.
Freak. I flinched. The insult found its mark, slicing all the way to the bone.
“Move.” Grey elbowed his way through the growing crowd. Their snickers followed us down the hallway. All eyes were on us.
This was my worst nightmare. The spirits were driving me insane.
“Okay, just fucking breathe,” Grey insisted, like I hadn’t been trying to do that this entire time. When I didn’t respond to his sage advice, he decided to go a different route. “Want to tell me what happened back there?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’m a fucking freak.” My voice cracked.
I hated how much the girl’s words hurt. I wasn’t delusional.
I knew they weren’t my friends, and I shouldn’t care about what they said, but I did.
I’d spent my entire life trying to be normal.
Not the girl who could communicate with the dead.
“I’ll rip out their tongues if you want. It’d make talking shit a lot harder.” He turned to go back inside.
“No!” I shouted, tugging on his sweatshirt.
“I’m only kidding. Ripping out their throats would be much more effective.”
“Shut up,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips despite everything that’d happened tonight.
Grey closed the space between us, and everything else faded around me. “What happened in the bathroom?” he repeated the question from earlier.
“I don’t know. I was…” Heat stained my cheeks as I remembered the reason I’d been in the bathroom in the first place. I cleared my throat and continued. “A spirit appeared, but I couldn’t get out of the room because the door was locked. She reached out and touched me.”
“On your shoulder?” he asked.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
“Because it left a mark.”
Grey brought a finger to my shoulder, gently running it over the reddened outline of a handprint. My body ignited at his touch. Wanting—no needing—more.
People spilled out of the house, stopping to chat next to us on the porch. A couple pushed past us, sucking each other’s faces, only breaking apart for a split second for air.
Reluctantly, I pulled away from him, instantly missing the warmth. “Wait, what are you doing here?” My head tilted to the side. “How did you find me?” I took a small step back, putting a little more distance between us.
His eyes narrowed to slits, the whites all but gone as I stared into pitch black pools.
All the warmth from our earlier conversation vanished.
“You left town right after making our deal. There is no running away from this. I don’t think you fully understand, little witch,” Grey whispered.
His eyes, glowing faintly with an unnatural yellow hue. “If you fail, I get your soul.”
I stood there, rooted to the spot, as Grey's words were like chains, wrapping around me, tightening with every breath. I knew there would be consequences, but hearing him say it out loud made my stomach churn.
“And I wouldn’t mind owning your soul. Keep that in mind, and I’ll see you again real soon.”
I was in big trouble. Because deep down, a tiny voice whispered that even if I succeeded, I would never truly be free. Not from him.