Chapter Six
I sagged onto the couch, blowing out a long sigh.
“Well? Did you learn anything?” Evander asked, pushing his glasses up his nose and peering at me over the top of his laptop.
Leaning my head back against the couch cushion, I closed my eyes. “There’s a reaper in town.”
“Are you sure? Did you see one?” Rhodes’ footsteps were heavy as he entered the room.
Cracking open one eyelid, I glanced toward him. “I didn’t see anyone, but I sensed his presence nearby. He must’ve been walking in the reaper plane.”
Ev closed his laptop and leaned forward to set it on the coffee table. “Maybe it’s the reaper’s presence in the area that’s drawing the ghosts to Amberwood? Ghosts are drawn to reapers like moths are to flames.”
I snorted. “Not just ghosts. Have you seen how humans act when they’re around a reaper? They should fear death, yet they fawn all over reapers. Those dicks might as well be a type of sex god with the way panties hit the floor whenever they enter a room.”
“You sound jealous,” Evander chuckled. “Don’t worry, bro. Reapers wouldn’t even consider dating a human, so they aren’t in competition with you.”
I didn’t care who the reaper was interested in dating, as long as it wasn’t Axelle. He could have every female ghost, human, and collector out there if he wanted. But he wasn’t getting Axelle.
That morning, when I’d stepped inside Amberwood’s public library, I’d been greeted by the scent of floor polish, old lady rose perfume, and dusty book pages. It had brought back memories of being in elementary school.
Unlike Evander, who would be thrilled to live in a library, I would’ve been content to never step foot inside one again. Oh, the things a man would do for a beautiful woman!
My brow furrowed. I knew the guys thought I was only there to check out some ghost booty, but they were wrong. We each had a set of skills that made us a valuable part of the circle, and one of mine was the ability to read body language.
Sure, I might’ve gone a little too far when teasing Rhodes about his attraction to her, but it had served a purpose. While he’d thought I was simply being a dick, I was reading his non-verbal cues.
There was no doubt in my mind that he would jump the ghost’s bones if given the chance. What surprised me most was that his interest went deeper than just getting his rocks off.
Rhodes had never shown sexual interest in a ghost, and he’d never shown serious interest in a human or collector. Probably because having a relationship would require him to talk to people other than Ev and me. I’d known the man long enough to know he wasn’t a virgin, but he might as well have been.
There was something about the library ghost that had captured his attention in a way I hadn’t witnessed from him before. We were there to study the unusual ghost activity going on in town, so it had only made sense for me to figure out what made her different. It might have helped us answer some questions.
Instead, I’d spent the day sitting on the floor and reading maps, just so I could study her face while she devoured her book.
In a single day, the beautiful bookworm had me doing two things I swore I’d never do.
First, I’d read a book. Well, part of a book.
Second, I’d fallen in love.
The idea of love at first sight was something I’d spent my life scoffing at, but I’d left the library a believer.
After seeing Axelle in person and tasting her sweet skin, Rhodes’ visceral attraction to her the previous day had made perfect sense. It wasn’t just her looks that captivated me. No, something deep inside me was pushing me toward her and causing my skin to burn with the need to touch her.
Glancing at Rhodes, I wondered for the thousandth time today how this could work. We both wanted her, and we were each far too stubborn to give her up.
What if she wanted us both? Could we work things out, or would we end up killing each other?
I was a selfish man, and I’d only been joking about my willingness to share. Hades! Even if I found the strength to share Axe, I’d lose my mind if she spent the night in another man’s room and I was left alone with my thoughts and insecurities.
If our circle was going to share, we’d need a single bedroom with a large bed. But that would pose a major problem for Rhodes.
He was the most private man I’d ever met. He liked Ev and me, but we weren’t even allowed in his bedroom. Could he be happy sharing not only a mate but also his living space?
Ev tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “But to draw this number of ghosts to him, the reaper would have to be staying in town. I’ve never heard of a reaper staying in one location for more than a few hours,” he mused out loud.
“True. So, either Lochlan is mistaken about a reaper being nearby, or this particular reaper is involved in the weirdness going on in Amberwood.” Rhodes sighed. “That doesn’t really help us, though. Because even if we find the reaper, he isn’t going to tell us what’s going on. I can’t remember the last time we bumped into a reaper who acknowledged our existence or spoke a word to any of us.”
Groaning, I sat up. “I’ll reach out to a few contacts. Maybe someone has heard rumors about what’s going on in the reaper realm. Let’s stay careful and watch each other’s backs until we untangle this mess.”
“Agreed.” Rhodes and Ev nodded.
I pushed to my feet and stretched. “I guess I’ll go make those calls.”
“Sit.” Rhodes packed enough command in the one word to have my body obeying before I’d even processed his order.
Lifting a brow, I shot him a questioning look. I had a suspicion I knew what he was going to ask next, but I hoped this was one of the rare occasions when I was wrong.
“Did you meet her?” Rhodes asked.
It was hard being Mr. Right all the time.
I locked gazes with Rhodes. “Yes, I met Axelle.”
She didn’t belong to him, so I’d done nothing wrong. But I’d heard his admission last night, and I couldn’t deny I felt a tiny twinge of guilt.
“And?” Rhodes prodded.
“And what?” I snarled, feeling defensive. What I did or didn’t do with her wasn’t his business.
Tense silence descended on the room. When Rhodes spoke again, his voice was soft. “And what was it like, kissing her?”
My eyes snapped to his face. “How could you know that?”
Rhodes rubbed his forehead. “You’re glowing. Unless you managed to collect a year’s worth of lost souls and deliver them to a vortex in”—Rhodes paused to glance at his watch “—less than twelve hours, then you found a new way to feed. My guess is you kissed her.”
“I didn’t kiss her lips, but I did kiss her neck.” At my admission, displeasure flashed across Rhodes’ face, but he was quick to hide it.
“You can’t be serious! You think just kissing her neck could do this?” Evander’s voice rose, cracking slightly. “If that’s true, imagine what having sex with Axelle could do to your energy!”
Rhodes and I groaned in unison. Ev hadn’t met her, so he had no way of knowing the strange effect she was having on us. He didn’t understand that just her name and the word sex in the same sentence was a special kind of torture.
Needing to go to my room and relieve some of the pressure that had built over the last few hours, I pushed to my feet again. “I think we should go back to the library and see if we can pick up the ghosts’ trail.”
My suggestion had nothing to do with the fact I was a jealous man and I wanted to find out what kind of date Axelle was going on. It was simply because our records on ghosts said they didn’t date, and I wanted to know if that needed to be updated.
Yep. I only wanted to ensure that our books contained accurate data.
“Sounds like that’s our best lead.” Rhodes stood and stretched. “I got a glimpse of the security system yesterday. It was pretty low-tech, so it shouldn’t be difficult to disable it.”
“I guess I’ll go change and print off a copy of the library’s blueprints.” Evander tucked his laptop under his arm and headed toward the stairs.
Snickering, I followed him up the stairs. “The library isn’t big. I’m pretty sure we won’t get lost.”
“It never hurts to be prepared. I’d rather not be caught off guard,” Evander quipped.
I watched him disappear into his room and couldn’t help but smirk. Like it or not, if we bumped into Axelle, he was definitely going to be caught off guard. She was different from every other ghost I’d met.
Axe was special.
“This would be so much easier if we could walk through walls like the reapers,” I grumbled, watching Evander work. For an old building, it was proving a challenge to unlock the ancient steel door.
“Where did they get this thing? An estate auction at Alcatraz?” Rhodes snarled and glared at the unmoving steel as though he could intimidate it into allowing us entrance.
“Lochlan, I thought you said this door would be a piece of cake? I’ll try for another minute, but we might need to resort to more drastic measures or try the other door.” No sooner had Evander spoken the words, than the door swung inward.
“Good work, Ev.” Rhodes clapped him on the shoulder as he moved past him and into the library’s dark interior.
“I didn’t do that,” Ev whispered, standing and pocketing his lock-picking tools. “Maybe the ghost helped?”
Following Rhodes inside, I searched the darkness, trying to feel for Axelle. I couldn’t see her, but her scent lingered in the air. Ready to get to work, we headed straight for the security cameras, only to find the two screens were dark.
“Huh. Maybe they were rearranging things in here and forgot to plug them back in?” Evander suggested.
Rhodes shook his head. “No. Axelle was in here recently.”
“So she’s helping us? Shouldn’t we take her to a vortex before she fades out?” Ev’s gaze bounced between Rhodes and me.
“Not unless she asks us to. So don’t even think about it,” I warned him.
“She’s different. If she was going to fade, I think she would have already done it,” Rhodes added. “Now, let’s get to work.”
“I think we should start in the storage room. That’s where the ghosts seemed to be headed this afternoon. Follow me.” Without waiting for them to respond, I turned and headed deeper into the library.
To my disappointment, I didn’t see Axelle when we passed through the archive room. It was odd though; I almost thought I could feel her. But ghosts couldn’t hide themselves from reapers or collectors, so if she was there, I should’ve been able to see her.
The memory of her blending with the shadows in the storeroom came to me. At first, I’d simply chalked it up to the dark room, but I could see just as well in the dark as I could in the light. It was a skill I’d never appreciated more than today when Axe had blown the lights in a fit of embarrassment.
The expressions she’d made as she mocked herself had been on the level of an animated movie character. It had taken every ounce of discipline I possessed to keep from laughing… or pulling the adorable woman onto my lap and kissing her pouty lips.
When she finally stopped poking fun at herself, I’d thought I was in the clear. But then Axelle had turned her attention to studying my face. I wasn’t a mind reader, but the shift in her energy and the way her eyes had darkened as they focused on my lips told me she’d liked what she saw.
It had been physically painful to keep my muscles relaxed when I wanted nothing more than to taste her. I’d managed to mostly keep my hands to myself until we’d been in the storage room. It was the way her hips swayed that had pushed me over the edge. I’d needed to touch her—to feel her body against mine.
Recalling the way Axelle had melted against me caused my cock to harden. When I’d tucked my face against her neck, she’d tilted her head the slightest bit, unconsciously giving me better access, and my heart had melted.
I was a stranger, but Axelle trusted me. She’d wanted my touch. Sure, she’d pulled away before things could escalate further, but I didn’t care. She was attracted to me, and that was all I needed to know.
She might have been the ghost, but I was going to haunt her sweet booty until I’d made her mine…