Splintered Souls, page 17
“You brought this upon yourself, brother.” Laith pointed to the fresh mound of earth and the plain wooden marker, decorated with bright-blue flowers, as he paced over newly trampled grass. His clean-shaven face twisted in rage as he balled up his fists at his sides. Despite his high-bred appearance—fancy buckled shoes and the finest silk and velvet clothes under his long wool coat—he looked like a soldier, ready to do battle.
For his part, Maddox stood from where he’d been kneeling and turned his back on the fresh grave. His coat hung loose on his shoulders, his shirt dirty and untucked, and he didn’t bother to brush the mud from his black velvet breeches. “I did this? I dare say not! I loved her with every fiber of my being. Her death lies at your feet. Not mine.” Even several days’ growth of beard couldn’t hide their resemblance, and yet this brother’s handsome face distorted in pain rather than rage.
Laith continued to paw restlessly at the ground like his horse. “She was as much mine as yours. And she married me.”
“She wasn’t yours to marry. She was betrothed to me!” Maddox’s voice rang out over the wind. “You tricked her.”
“So she was. And so I did. And for that, I should be sorry.” Laith turned to hide a smirk but wasn’t fast enough.
His brother gritted his teeth. “But you’re not.”
“Of course not.” Laith whirled around to face his sibling. “Would you have been had I found her first? I think not.” A large drop of rain splashed against his cheek, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. “Now what, brother? We have lost our great prize, our eternal love, and now we have nothing. Though it was destined for one of us to end up empty-handed, wasn’t it?”
A look of horror crossed Maddox’s face. “How can you be so callous? How can you speak of her as if she were nothing more than a prize to be won? To me, she was everything.”
“My heart is broken too, brother.” Laith lifted his eyes to the darkened sky, stretching his arms out to the sides until he resembled a giant cross. “God could strike me down where I stand, and I would not feel it. Our mother cursed us to this life. What can we do but her bidding?”
“We could part ways again and pray we never cross paths hereafter.” Maddox shook his head at his brother. “If I never see you again, it will be too soon.”
Laith sneered. “Or we could find that witch who cursed us and seek our revenge on her soul.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I’ll do whatever it takes to have Ava… even if it means killing everyone who stands in my path.”
My eyes snapped open, and I swallowed the scream building in my throat. The nightmares seriously needed to give it a rest.
Filtered daylight streamed in through slender windows high above me, and I struggled to sit up in the dim light, but an arm wrapped around my waist held me down. For a half a second, I freaked out while I tried to work out in my head where the hell I was.
Then I heard the waves shattering against the rocks outside, and it all came rushing back to me. We fell asleep in the lighthouse.
“Maddox. Wake up!” I nudged him with my elbow, but he only grunted and held me tighter. My body ached from lying half on the hard floor and half on Maddox. My neck had a crick in it from where my head rested on his chest. After struggling for what seemed like hours, I managed to wriggle an arm free to dig my phone out of my pocket.
Dead. No wonder I hadn’t received a single call, or even a text, from Mom. It had most likely died sometime in the night. As far as I knew, Maddox’s was in his pocket, but I couldn’t reach it without waking him up. And he wasn’t cooperating.
“Come on, Maddox. My mom must be freaking out by now. She probably called the cops and put out an Amber alert on me or something.”
He stirred beneath me. Adorable groans emanated from his throat as he struggled to wake up on the cold, hard floor. “I think you’re too old for an Amber alert. She probably thinks you ran away from home.”
That one little thought opened up a floodgate of emotions, and my eyes filled with tears. “Damn it. She just lost my dad. I can’t let her think she’s lost me too.”
“Okay, I’m up.” He released me and sat up to rub his eyes. “What time is it?”
“I have no idea, but it’s daytime. And my phone died. I need to use yours.”
Maddox fished into his pocket and handed me his phone. “What are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know. The truth? We had a fight, you brought me to the lighthouse to talk, and we fell asleep.” I keyed in my mom’s cell number.
“You’re gonna tell her we broke into the lighthouse after hours?” he whispered.
I frowned at him and shook my head while I waited for the call to connect. It rang several times before she answered.
“Hello?”
I swallowed down my nerves and cleared my throat. “Hi, Mom, it’s me.”
“Ava?” She didn’t sound all that frantic, just a bit suspicious maybe. “Is everything okay?”
“Uh, yeah? Just, you know, checking in.” From my illegal location in the restricted lighthouse.
“Whose number are you calling from?” Definitely not frantic about my whereabouts.
“Oh, this is, uh, Maddox’s phone.” I shot him a quick glance. “I forgot to charge mine last night, so it died.”
“Oh.” I could hear her rushing around, shuffling papers. “I guess I need to get you one of those emergency chargers. Did you get a lot of studying done last night? Sam said you had to prep for a big French test when she called to say you’d be staying over. I have to tell you, I’m not thrilled about you having your friend call me with a guilt trip. You could’ve called me yourself. You’re not a kid anymore. And honestly, I was always horrible at French. If your dad was still alive, he could have helped you, but I’m glad you at least have Sam.”
“Yeah, uh, definitely.” When what she’d said finally sank in, I let go of the breath I was holding. I relaxed back into Maddox’s chest and shot him a grin over my shoulder. “Thank God for Sam. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her.”
“Listen, sweetie, I need to run. I have a client coming in early this morning. Will I see you for dinner?”
“I-I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know.” I couldn’t think that far into the future, not when I was so completely wrapped up in the past.
“Josh! Come on. We’re leaving. Okay, just let me know before it gets too late. Oh, and good luck on your test.”
“Thanks, Mom. Bye,” I said, but she was already gone.
“Holy shit.” I dropped my head between my knees and took a few cleansing breaths.
“What was that all about?” Maddox rubbed circles on my back.
I sat back up and turned to face him. “How she knew I needed her to save me, I have no idea, but Sam called Mom last night and told her I’d be staying over to study.”
A few days ago, I would have been majorly weirded out by Sam’s apparent psychic abilities. But a little ESP had nothing on the other revelations I’d had to accept over the past several hours. Still… I owed her. Big time. And now that she’d dug me out of a major hole, she’d be like a shark on a paper cut. She’d expect juicy tidbits, and the only juicy thing that had happened last night was the drool I left on Maddox’s chest.
He looked incredulous. “That’s… strange. And your mom just bought it? Didn’t ask to speak with you or anything?”
“So it would seem. Either she’s relaxing the reins a little bit now that I’m in college, or my years of toeing the line worked in my favor for once, though it would seem my reign as the resident good girl has officially ended.”
He flashed a wide smile and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I think I might like you as a bad girl.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high. That much innocence is hard to shed overnight.”
“Well, if you decide to turn to the dark side, let me know. I’d be happy to help.”
For an instant, I saw Laith in his eyes, and it brought everything tumbling back down on top of me in a flash. The curse, the time travel, the other me who’d taken her own life rather than be torn between the two of them.
“Hey.” He held my face in his hands, concern radiating from his eyes as he gazed into mine. It was as if he thought he could pluck my thoughts out, one by one, just by willing it. “You were just smiling, and now you look like you’re about to have a panic attack.”
“You’re very perceptive for someone who just woke up.” I reached up with both hands to grasp his wrists, but I didn’t pull his hands away. Instead, I savored the skin contact for as long as I could.
He gave me a sad smile. “Centuries of practice.”
“Well, Mister Time-traveling Soul Mate…” I forced a smile and gave his wrists one last squeeze before using them to haul myself up. I had to look away or risk breaking down. “We need to go to class and at least pretend my life isn’t hanging by a frayed thread.”
“Ava.”
I turned toward the somber tone in his voice and looked down at him where he still sat on the brick floor of the lighthouse, hugging his knees to his chest, his handsome face illuminated by pinpricks of light from above. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“But I do.” He jumped to his feet and circled me in his embrace. “I may be able to travel to the future, but I can’t predict it. The one thing I can do is promise you I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. I won’t let what happened before happen to you.” He kissed the top of my head. “I love you, Ava. I truly do.”
“I love you, too.” My voice barely made a sound with my face buried in his shirt.
He pulled back to look at me, his cocky grin right back where it belonged. “What did you say?”
I slapped his shoulder. “You heard me. I said, ‘I love you.’”
“Yeah, I did.” He pulled me back against him, tucking my head under his chin while he held me. “You have no idea how happy I am that I heard you.”
I cleared my throat and pressed my lips against his chest. Part of me hoped he wouldn’t hear what I had to say next. “I’m not gonna lie. I still feel the bond with Laith. But it’s not him I want, just that piece of his soul that binds me to him. With you, it’s different. I love you for the things I see inside your soul. You’re inherently good. And you make me smile. And I’ve never known anyone who likes the Rolling Stones as much as me.”
“Well, I am from England… originally.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Yeah, I guess you are. Too bad you lost the accent. British guys are hot.”
“Damn it. Do you have any idea how long I worked to shed that accent?”
That only made me laugh harder. “Well, maybe you can practice a little. For me.”
“You know I’d do anything for you.” He stopped laughing and rested his forehead on mine as he stared down at me. “I mean that, Ava. Anything. If it means I have to go back to see the witch again, I will. I’ll force her to remove the curse, somehow. Whatever it takes. I’d gladly go back and undo every single thing from my past to ensure you’d be safe in the future.”
When we pulled into the campus parking lot, Sam was waiting for us by her car. “Well, there she is.” She grinned. “I’m glad to see you’re alive. I have to admit, I was a little worried.”
I gave her a hug, squeezing the life out of her for being there for me when I needed her. “How did you know I needed to be bailed out?”
“He, uh…” Sam glanced at Maddox then tilted her head as if she was waiting for him to interject. When he just stood there looking as confused as I did, she went on. “Maddox showed up at my house and begged me to be your alibi.” She turned to him. “You didn’t tell her?”
He frowned but didn’t say anything. I saw the wheels turning in his head. Maddox had been with me the entire time since Sam dropped me off from school. It had to have been Laith. But why?
I draped my arm over her shoulder and led her toward the school, leaving Maddox behind. “Well, thank you. You totally saved my ass.”
“What’s going on with you two? It’s weird. One minute he’s the dark romantic hero, and in the next, he’s… I don’t even know how to describe him. Just a little scary.”
I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant. Laith was more than a little scary. “Did Maddox tell you why I needed an alibi?”
“Uh, yeah. He said he was going to surprise you and take you somewhere. He looked super excited, especially when he said you probably wouldn’t make it back in time for curfew. It was almost creepy. If it had been anyone other than Maddox, I would have sworn he’d planned to kidnap you.” She glanced over her shoulder and frowned. “Seriously, though, what’s going on? He looks mad as hell that I told you he came to see me.”
I peeked back at Maddox, who paced the quad with his jaw clenched, having what appeared to be a heated conversation on his cell phone. “I promise he’s not mad at you. But I’ll tell you later. Right now, I’m gonna go see who he is mad at.” Or rather, what Laith had done this time. Maddox’s brother was obviously up to something, and that could only mean trouble.
“Okay, fine. I’ll catch up to you at lunch, but when I do, you’d better be ready to dish, girlfriend.” She laughed as she backed away from me. “That’s the price for bailing you out. I want full disclosure on the details.”
“I never expected anything less.” I shot her a grin and fell into a full-on sprint over to where Maddox stood, half hidden by the sign.
Before I’d even reached the corner, I felt the static charge in the air. The force of the jolt kicked me back the instant I stepped around the sign. My entire body lit up as if I’d tossed a toaster into the bathtub. And as I hit the ground, I saw Maddox’s horrified face before he completely disappeared into thin air.
I was too calm. I must have been in shock. But things could have been worse. At least my heart was still beating. I tried to roll over from where I lay on the ground with the wind knocked out of me, waiting to regain the use of my limbs. My head buzzed as I tried to make sense of what had happened. I must have stepped into the jump zone as Maddox was on his way out. I could only hazard a guess as to what had prompted him to jump. Laith. I just didn’t know the reason.
“Hey, are you okay?” A boy in a blue windbreaker crouched down beside me, looking at me as if he were inspecting roadkill. “You pass out or something? My sister passes out all the time. You should eat. Girls never think they need to eat.” He reached a hand out to me, and I grasped it, letting him haul me to my feet.
“Thanks.” I kept things short and sweet. I didn’t need to get into the hows or whys of my current predicament.
“Yeah, sure.” He scratched his blond head, looking at me like I had rabies. “You need to go to the clinic?”
I shook my head.
“Okay, well, I’m gonna go. You’re lucky I was already running late.”
“Yeah, lucky.” Maybe my head was still a little fuzzy. Maybe I did need to see a doctor. “Thanks.”
“You said that.” He smiled that time—a crooked grin that made him a lot cuter than I’d first realized.
If I hadn’t already been spoken for, twice over, I might have let this one flirt with me. “I’m gonna…” I pointed toward the science building as I willed my feet to move forward.
“Yeah, me too. Chem lab.”
“Molecular bio.”
“Nice.” His head bobbed a few times as he backed slowly toward the building. “You know, I think I’ll go ahead and walk with you. Make sure you don’t take another dirt nap on the way.”
“Sure.” I shrugged, keeping pace with him. I caught him shooting glances at me every so often as we crossed the quad.
He reached the door first and held it open for me. “You sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks.” The instant the words passed my lips, I knew I was lying. I’d just seen my boyfriend disappear in front of me, presumably so he could travel to another place and time. And even if I could contact him there, my phone was still dead. Maybe I had seen a ghost after all.
Or maybe what I saw was way worse.
The boy nodded a few times then turned and vanished around a corner the way normal boys do when they disappear.
I didn’t think I’d ever be able to settle for normal again.
Chapter Nineteen
After making sure my would-be savior wasn’t coming back to check on me, I wandered the science building in a daze. Since I was already late, I figured I might as well skip the entire class. Thanks to the anticipated “recharge period,” I had doubts Maddox would make it back in time for our European history class, not that he’d miss much. As it turned out, my boyfriend was a bit of an expert on the subject.
Boyfriend. The word didn’t seem to do justice to the entire scope of our relationship.
When he still hadn’t come back by the time class ended, I wandered off to the library to study for the French test Sam had told my mom I’d already studied for. Instead, I directed every bit of my focus on the entrance. My weak attempts to will Maddox to step through the glass door with nothing but sheer determination didn’t pan out, but that didn’t stop me from trying.
I’d officially become a zombie. The zap I’d taken from his time jump ripple and the sense of loss I always experienced when he wasn’t around left me with a fuzzy head. Even halfway through the day, I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling.
My need to talk to Maddox bordered on desperate. I spent my entire lunch break making a mountain out of my mashed potatoes like a crazy person and staring at my dead cell phone, willing it back to life.
