Rubbing her shoulder with a look of confusion, Juliette nodded as if understanding. “I’m sorry. I should’ve known you wouldn’t run away. I freaked out, okay? He was covered in blood and there was this huge splinter stuck in his side. Can you imagine what it was like to see that?”
“Yeah, I can.” Ree remembered all too well, the bullet holes in Paden’s shirt and jacket. She remembered feeling his body jerk against hers with each shot. “I get it.”
“If you two are done we need to focus on what we’re going to do next. Like finding out where Weylin has disappeared to.” Paden placed a hand on Ree’s shoulder. She hadn’t even realized he had left Melanie and her mother, but knew he must’ve responded to Juliette’s posturing. Which was silly, because no matter how mad Jules had been, she would never hurt Ree.
“We also need to talk about what just happened.” Roland’s smooth voice cut through Ree’s thoughts.
“I think they’ve already settled it, Rols.” Bryce was standing behind Juliette.
“Oh, not that. I mean the fact that Ree gained a little more than extra power from Sophie’s Death Gift.” Roland’s smirk was back in full force, the light in his eyes causing Ree’s stomach to flip.
Paden leveled thoughtful eyes on Ree. “I thought you kept up with me earlier today pretty easily.”
“It could just be all the exercise I’m doing now.” Ree looked away from everyone. She didn’t like the way they were looking at her, as if she had done something new and weird. Which, if she was being honest with herself, was exactly what they were thinking.
“And you were able to catch that darkling yourself.” Paden looked at her shrewdly.
“Ree, you caught the darkling?” Melanie grinned at Ree enthusiastically. “Way to go.” Paden glared at Melanie until she schooled her features into a serious expression. “I mean, you could’ve been hurt!” When Paden turned his attention back to Ree, Melanie winked and flashed a thumbs-up.
“It occurred to me last night something had changed. Do you remember the Dark One that came out of nowhere? I was able to push him away from you. I did it without thinking, but he should’ve brushed me off like a fly, right?” Ree shook her head, still awed by what had happened. “That’s why I went outside this morning. I was thinking about everything, trying to get a grasp on why Athena had been watching me so closely.” Should she mention seeing Athena in the square earlier? She still wasn’t sure what the goddess had been looking for.
“Ree.” Paden looked down into her eyes, obviously aware she was keeping something from them. “Tell us.”
“I saw Athena today. In the square as we were leaving. She was sitting on a bench, watching us.” Someone mumbled an explicative, and Ree was surprised to realize it was Bryce. He was usually the last one to freak out. Raising an eyebrow, Ree cocked her head at him in question.
“The goddess of strategy was watching you kick darkling butt? She was waiting to see if her plan had worked.” Bryce shook his head. “I would bet money she had planned for Sophie to make a Death Gift to you all along.”
Ree couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her mouth, nor the tears that gathered in her eyes. “She told me. Sophie told me it had always been the plan, and she did it anyway.”
Roland growled deep in his chest and walked away. He stood staring blankly at the wall before letting loose a roar and slamming his fist through the drywall. Leaning forward, he let his forehead rest just above the hole, his shoulders shaking with each breath. Silence was thick through the air as everyone watched Roland work through his anger.
Pain and fear washed over Ree in waves, making her wrap her arms around her chest. For over a thousand years, Roland and Sophie had been used and manipulated. She hated seeing him hurt so much. She hated knowing Sophie had been another pawn in this war, just another tool in the gods’ closet.
Taking a deep breath, Ree looked away from Roland and her gaze fell on Melanie. Two tears made tracks down her friend’s cheeks, but it wasn’t the sadness that surprised Ree. It was who Melanie felt sad for that caused her to pause. Even without her extra sense to make it clear, Ree could see the longing on her friend’s face.
Ree turned to look at Juliette, their argument forgotten. She wanted to know if she was the only one aware of how Melanie felt. When Ree raised an eyebrow, Jules gave a soft jerk of her chin in acknowledgment. Ree frowned, knowing her eyes communicated her confusion. When had this happened and how had she missed it? Guilt and frustration rolled in her stomach. Here was one of her best friends, in love with someone that had feelings for Ree. To make matters worse, Ree had mixed-up feelings for Roland, too. And Melanie had never said a thing.
Cutting her eyes to Paden, she saw the compassion in his features as he watched Roland. In that moment, she understood the true extent of the gods’ plan and the cruelty it depended on. Ellie had even told Ree, just because you loved someone in one life, it didn’t mean you were soul mates. You could love many people, but only your soul mate truly completed you.
There, in Roland’s most desperate moment, the gods had capitalized on his love for Tria, promising he would be with her again. They never promised they were soul mates, never promised the love they felt for each other would be the same in her new reincarnation. For centuries, Roland had been waiting for Tria, thinking they were soul mates.
“Ree?” Paden must have felt her anger and sorrow. Turning to her, he reached out to touch her cheek. In his eyes she saw his worry over the possibility that she wanted to go to Roland, but that wasn’t what she was feeling. She did want to go to Roland, to comfort him, but not in the way Paden worried.
The gods had provided two protectors for their surprise weapon. Two men that both loved her for different reasons. Two men that would give their lives for her, perform amazing feats of strength to safeguard Ree. The inhumanity of their decision, the cruel manipulations and calculations left Ree breathless. Was this what Roland was realizing in this moment?
Looking past Paden, she watched as Roland’s shoulders jerked with each ragged breath. Had the gods overplayed their hand? Would he handle this well or would he defect? Could he turn his back on everything?
Turning his head slightly, Roland’s blue eyes met Ree’s. For just a moment, she could see the ragged edges of his pain, frustration, and rage; then, just as quickly, everything disappeared. A blank expression slid over his features, and the Roland she knew disappeared behind a mask of icy consideration.
Cold crept into Ree’s stomach and left her with an empty feeling. Love walked a fine line with hate, and from the way Roland was looking at her in that moment, she couldn’t read anything other than resentment in his expression. Part of her wanted to cry, part of her was so bruised and beat up inside she could only feel resigned. Somewhere deep in her heart she felt the memories of Tria, knew they were teasing them both, and she wanted to scream.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke the connection that held them, and the door flung open to show a filthy Weylin. Taking a deep breath that was purely for show, he gasped and held a hand to his chest.
“There are entirely too many safe houses in this city.”
“Where have you been?” The relief in Ree’s voice was obvious as she went to hug her friend. “We’ve been so worried.”
“Me? Well, I was arrested, broke out of a cop car, and then stole a truck.” Lacing his hands together, Weylin popped his knuckles and smiled. “So, are we ready to go? Or are we going to wait for someone to realize their vehicle has gone missing?”
Chapter Five
The truck had a cover over the bed, thankfully, but it was still a very uncomfortable ride to the boat dock. Weylin, Melanie and her grandmother rode up front. The rest of their group piled into the truck bed and tried to keep their heads down.
The roads in the historic district were swarming with cops and it didn’t feel safe to breathe until they had gotten into the more modern areas of the city. No one spoke for the entire ride. Roland looked like he was ready to explode at any moment, his hands opening and closing on his knees. His expression was calm and nonchalant, belying the short fuse that lay just beneath the surface. Weylin still hadn’t explained the details of his close call, and Melanie’s mother seemed to be lost in thought.
Paden squeezed Ree’s arm, but his eyes were scanning the windows as they drove past one of the malls. When they finally pulled into the neighborhood with the dilapidated Victorian house, the tension was almost unbearable. Part of Ree was so tired she wanted to find a place to crawl into and hide. It wasn’t a physical sense of exhaustion, but rather a mental and spiritual fatigue. So much had happened, with so little time to process anything, she felt as if she was constantly running. By the time the gravel of the driveway crunched under the tires, Ree was up and throwing open the tailgate.
Before the truck had even come to a stop, Ree had jumped out and was walking toward the dock. The sleek boat that had originally taken them to the island bobbed gently in the waves. Roland walked past Ree and hopped gracefully over the boat’s edge and started checking different switches. Her steps halted and she watched the Dark One. He was obviously ignoring Ree, and she didn’t really blame him. It was obvious he must’ve come to the same conclusion she had in the safe house. She was just glad he hadn’t started screaming at her. Knowing she had caused him pain made part of her soul wither. She might not love him the way Tria had, but she remembered it. And she could understand why Tria had loved him, which made it so much harder to ignore.
A warm hand squeezed her shoulder and she looked up into Paden’s green eyes. There was a question in them she didn’t know how to answer. Instead she covered his hand with hers and squeezed.
“I don’t like this, Paden. We’re running again; letting them dictate our actions. We have to stop allowing that happen.” Changing the subject let Ree push the guilt aside for a minute.
“Let’s regroup and go from there. You’re right, though, we need to start making the calls.” Paden frowned and looked out over the water.
Ellie walked past them with Bryce and Melanie. “Now, that is a nice boat. Much bigger than the last dingy I went fishing on. Do you remember, Mel?”
Melanie groaned. “No wants to hear that story, Gran.”
“Of course we do,” Weylin said from where he knelt next to the truck. With a firm yank, he pulled the license plate off of the truck and balled it up in his hands. Ree watched, amused, as the metal folded like paper. Standing up, he threw the metal into the water.
“Weylin! That’s littering!” Ree pointed a finger in his direction and glared at him.
“What was I supposed to do? Put it in the trash can?” Weylin shrugged. “At least I didn’t push the truck into the river. We really need to get rid of it, or they will track us here.”
“We could leave it at one of the other houses. Or maybe the abandoned lot we passed.” Juliette offered.
“That’s still pretty close to the house. There’s a share-ride lot near the highway. We could leave it there and run back.” Paden suggested. “That would also keep us from being tracked by the cameras on the stop lights.”
“I can go and be back pretty quickly.” Weylin stood up and headed for the truck cab.
“No one should go alone. I’ll ride with you.” Paden squeezed Ree’s shoulders. “I’ll be back soon.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips over her forehead. “Stay close to Roland.”
With that, he joined Weylin in the truck and they were gone. The breeze from the coast slid through Ree’s hair and she shivered. Turning to look at the boat, she caught Roland’s cold gaze on her. After a moment, he jumped back on to the dock and headed for the old house. He brushed past Ree and she felt his grief and anger like a cold knife between her ribs.
Her breath shuddered through her clenched teeth and she wrapped her arms around her middle. How had it ever come about that she could be the cause of so much pain? Her eyes followed his lithe form as he ducked through one of the rotten doorways. As if she couldn’t help herself, she began walking toward the door.
Stepping through the entrance to the house, Ree stopped and looked around. The interior was mostly gutted, but instead of everything being old and destroyed, it was clean and neat. Dark hardwood covered the floor and the walls were painted a light gray. There was a small kitchenette on the other side of the cavernous space and a small room that looked like a bathroom in one corner. Weapons of all kinds lined the walls and there were mats stacked up against one wall. But it was Roland, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, that made her heart stop. Dangerous and sexy, he would make any girl’s heart flutter, but it was the pain in his expression that made her wince.
“I figured you’d follow me.” His voice rumbled deep in his chest, but he didn’t look up at her.
“You’re mad at me.” Ree wasn’t sure why she said that, because it wasn’t exactly what she felt radiating off him. It was what she feared.
His eyes cut up at her sharply and he grimaced. “I’m not mad at you, Ree.” Pushing off the wall, he ran a hand through his hair and looked away from her. “Not mad at you, but definitely mad.”
“I’m sorry, Roland.”
“Don’t you dare.” Turning to look at her, his eyes held a fire that made her want to take a step back. Instead, she straightened her spine and walked further into the house. “I don’t want your pity, Ree. Not yours, or anyone else’s.”
“Fine, then stop acting like you deserve it.” Ree winced as soon the words left her mouth, because he did deserve it. He deserved so much more than he had been dealt in life. And in death.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” Letting his hands hang at his sides, Roland’s features shifted into the blank expression that she hated.
“You know what? I don’t really care what you want. I think you need to talk to me.” Ree walked toward him and tilted her head back so that she could look up into his eyes.
His hands grabbed her waist and pulled her against him. “I don’t want to talk, Ree.”
“Why did you get so upset at the safe house?” Swallowing, she ignored his statement and tried to steer the conversation to a safer place.
“You know why I was so upset. They played me this whole time. Tell me Paden isn’t your soul mate. Tell me I haven’t spent hundreds of years waiting for someone that was never meant to be mine.” His voice cracked on the last word and his hands clenched at her sides.