Octavian's Undoing (Sons of Judgment) (27 page)

Octavian growled deep in his throat, the frustration clear in his tone. “Will you piss off? I told you, I’m not going to her house so quit trying to talk me into it. She’ll come back when she’s ready.”

Heart wedged in her throat like a frightened bird trapped in the neck of a bottle, Riley finally opened her mouth. “And if she’s never comes back?”

Octavian didn’t move for so long that she began to suspect that maybe he hadn’t heard her. He didn’t speak. He remained perfectly immobile. Even the rise and fall of his chest had ceased. Riley held her own breath as she waited, wondering desperately if she’d made a horrible mistake.

“I have hope,” he said at last, lowering the arm on his face and swinging his legs over edge of the bed. He sat up and turned his head to her.

With the light behind him, he was cast into shadows that obscured his face, thus his expression, but she could feel the anxious strokes of his eyes as they roamed over her.

“You came back,” he observed quietly. “Did Magnus force you? I’ll beat his ass if he did.”

“To come? No. Magnus didn’t force me.” Riley hesitated, still so torn by the reason behind her decision. “I… I need my job,” she whispered at last. “I was hoping it was still available.”

He rose to his feet, the metal springs rattling with the loss of his weight. “It is.”

Relief uncoiled the tension from around her shoulders, but she wasn’t out of the fire yet. “I also came to give you this.” She held up the gift bag. “I wasn’t sure when her birthday was so… I hope it’s not too late.”

He shook his head, making no move to come any closer. “Not for another couple of weeks.”

She nodded slowly. “Oh okay.” With all the non-consequential reasons behind her visit out of the way, there was only one topic remaining, one she didn’t know how to answer.

“Is that the only reason you came?” he asked at last, breaking the silence.

Gut knotting, Riley nodded. “Yes… no!” She pressed her eyes closed tight. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

There was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes before he turned away. His feet made barely a sound as he went to the mini fridge tucked next to the neat little sitting area in the corner and pried open the door. He kept his back to her as he fished out a bottle of water. As a second thought, he took out two. He kicked the door closed and started towards Riley.

She glanced at the water he offered her before taking it. She murmured her thanks, but didn’t open it.

“Hey.” He waited until he had her attention before continuing. “I’m not angry.” He gave her a small smile. “You’re back and I’m okay with that… for now.”

Her fingers trembled around the bottle. “For now?”

His smile broadened and a wicked grin danced in his eyes. “Well, it’s only a matter of time before you remember why you fell for me.”

Her jaw slackened. “Fell for you? What makes you think—?”

Straight, white teeth flashed in one of the biggest grins she’d ever seen on him. “Oh, Green-eyes, you can’t lie to me. It’s in your eyes when you look at me and in your smile and in all the things you don’t say. You want me.”

Heat coursed up her neck and flooded her face. “That’s… you… the nerve…”

He laughed at her sputtering. “Deny it.” He closed the minuscule space between them, stealing her senses, her breath. “Look me in the eyes and tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m the only one that feels it.” When she could merely glower at him, he smirked, self-satisfied.

“Don’t be smug,” she muttered. “We can’t be together and you know it.”

His head tipped back a notch so he was looking down the length of his nose at her. “Why can’t we?”

“Uh, well, the little fact like how you’re immortal maybe? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not conceited, but I am not going to be all cozy with a guy that looks twenty when I’m sixty.”

“Is that the only reason?”

It took a bit more thinking to summon up the rest of her reasons. “The whole you being the reaper of lost souls is kind of weird and your
poofing
abilities kind of freak me out.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “I can’t help being a
… reaper of lost souls
, as you put it, but how about no more…
poofing
in front of you if I can help it? As for the aging thing, I’ll work on it.”

She had no idea what that meant and never got the chance to respond when there was a knock on the door behind her and Kyaerin stood there, looking gorgeous in a two piece suit in mint green. She paused on the threshold to peer curiously at Octavian before her eyes jumped to Riley and widened.

“Riley!” With speeds that should have been impossible in sky-high pumps, Kyaerin had crossed the distance and yanked Riley into a tight embrace. “Oh we’ve missed you, sweetie!”

Having never been missed or embraced as though she were some long, lost daughter, Riley was robbed of words as she stood paralyzed in one of the tightest hugs she’d ever received. The overwhelming scent of wildflowers and sunshine washed over her, fresh and crisp so it was like walking through a meadow. Riley closed her eyes, breathing in the comforting scent.

Kyaerin drew back first, holding Riley at arm’s length. “How are you? You look pale. Have you been sleeping?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to lie, to hide behind the habit of telling no one anything, but the concern was so real, so bright in the woman’s blue eyes that it felt wrong not to be honest.

“I’ve been having some nightmares,” she whispered. “But I’m okay.”

Something sharp and hard shot across her face as she exchanged a quick glance with Octavian. “What kind of nightmares, Riley?”

Not sure what the big deal was — people had nightmares all the time — Riley shrugged. “It’s just my arm—”

In a flash, her arm was grabbed, her sleeve forced back to the elbow. But her coat sleeve refused to go that high.

Kyaerin glowered at it. “Come.”

Not waiting for Riley to oblige, Kyaerin dragged her across the room to the bed. She was stripped of her coat and shoved onto the mattress still warm from Octavian’s body heat. Kyaerin tore back the sleeve of her sweater to the wrapping mummifying her arm. Octavian stood at her shoulder, blank faced as he watched his mother unravel the gauze.

“It’s really not that bad,” Riley lied. “The doctor said it was eczema. He gave me some cream…” The rest of her words trailed off when both her companions hissed as her injuries came into view.

“It’s gotten worse,” Kyaerin murmured.

“I think it only looks that way because I keep scratching it in my sleep,” Riley explained, trying to draw her arm back.

But Kyaerin was having none of that. She held on tighter, examining the raw flesh.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Octavian asked, leaning over his mother’s shoulder to get a better look.

Kyaerin shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this. The mark shouldn’t be doing this to her.”

“Do you think it’s the ascension?” Octavian straightened.

“Ascension?” Riley glanced from one to the other, hoping for some answers to this boggling situation.

Kyaerin continued to slowly rock her head from side to side, her expression one of utter bewilderment. “I don’t know. It could be. Ascending is the most important part of the transition.”

Riley yanked her arm free. “Hello! Hi, owner of the arm here, can someone tell me what you’re talking about?”

Kyaerin faced her. The contemplation and uncertainty in her blue eyes had all the paranoia in Riley bristling.

“What—?”

Kyaerin took her hand, ceasing her trepidation. “It’s going to be okay.”

“What is?” Riley demanded, her voice high pitched.

Kyaerin exchanged a long glance with Octavian before speaking again. “Riley.” She squeezed Riley’s hand. “I’m going to remove the block I put in your memory, okay?”

Riley’s eyes widened. “You put a block… where? What? How? That is so wrong!”

“I know and I’m sorry. I just need you not to freak out when I do.”

Riley threw up her hands. “Why is nothing ever simple with you guys?”

Kyaerin offered her a small smile. “I’m sorry. Are you ready?”

No!

Riley nodded. “Yes. Unblock me.”

Kyaerin leaned forward until they were eyelevel. Riley tossed an uncertain glance towards Octavian. He offered her a small encouraging nod. She turned back to Kyaerin, fighting not to fidget.

“It’s okay, Riley,” Kyaerin murmured softly. “You know you’re safe. Just relax.”

In theory, it should have been impossible to relax. It was a known fact that by telling someone to relax, it always provoked the opposite reaction. You just couldn’t relax when you knew something weird was about to happen. But Riley did take a deep breath, willing herself to at least offer the illusion of relaxing.

“There’s a girl,” Kyaerin said. “Keep breathing, slow and steady.”

Riley did, but it felt strange. Yeah, it was something she did every day, but to be told how to breathe was another story.

Kyaerin raised a hand and lightly touched the side of Riley’s face, trailing the tip of her fingers from the hairline at her temple to the curve of her chin. The touch was feather-light. Riley barely felt it, but it warmed her from head to toe. She felt the world lift off her shoulders and nothing seemed to matter anymore as she floated happily in a cool stream of blissful nothingness.

“I need you to remember something for me, Riley.” Her soft, lulling voice pooled over her like a cozy blanket. “I need you to remember the night you saw Octavian behind the diner with Billius.”

Riley wanted to ask who Billius was, but she knew. It was a distant memory, a faraway spark lost somewhere in her vast subconscious.

“Do you remember, Riley?”

“A little,” she confessed, trying so hard to please the sweet voice whispering into her ear.

“Keep trying,” it encouraged. “It’s there. Find it.”

Billius. She vaguely remembered his face, his wild mane of hair, his cold eyes… his hand on her wrist.

Riley’s eyes flew open. A gasp escaped her as a waterfall of memories slammed down over her head. Everything from waking up that morning, going shopping to being grabbed by Billius and rescued by Octavian went flooding through her mind with the force of a dame breaking.

“Oh my God!” She grabbed at the end table with one hand and her pounding chest with the other. “Oh my God… what…?”

“Shhh,” Kyaerin whispered. “It’s all right. Breathe slowly.”

“What… what…” She couldn’t seem to find another word to convey the confusion and terror flooding through her. She could feel every moment of that night slamming into her, each one weighing a ton. “Octavian…”

“I’m here.” He moved forward, his hands reaching for her, bringing with them the sanity she was lacking.

“No!” Kyaerin grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

Riley gasped, her eyes wide with panic as he was propelled away from her. “No… wait!”

Octavian met the fear in her eyes with a raw torment in his. Hands that had been so close to offering her relief from the chaos balled into fists at his sides.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Kyaerin said, genuine honesty heavily in her voice.

“Why?” Riley croaked. “Please…”

Kyaerin moved into Octavian’s path when he tried to get to Riley.

“Mom!” he growled, attention lost in Riley and the plea in her eyes. “She needs me.”

“She needs you to be strong,” Kyaerin argued. “You’re making this worse for her. Just give her a moment.”

He didn’t move any closer, but he didn’t move away either. He stood stock still with every muscle in his body vibrating with rigid tension.

Kyaerin, satisfied that he wouldn’t try again, turned to Riley. “Tell me what you remember, Riley.”