The Rift (13 page)

He took my hands and pulled my arms behind my
back. “Now lean forward,” he said. I wrapped my hands tight around
Wraith’s arms, so that if I went over he’d go with me. I leaned
forward as far as I could, out over the edge of the mountain until
I could see nothing below me but trees and valley. I truly felt
like I was flying and I laughed at the sheer joy and terror of it.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt alive and free. I
felt like a girl in her twenties, having a new experience. I
laughed and Wraith laughed with me.

“Kelsey!” Jed’s voice boomed and made me
jump, my feet sliding just a bit on the smooth rock. Wraith pulled
me back in, and I fell against his chest still laughing. He
released me immediately, and I turned to face Jed, who was walking
up to us, his face red, his hands fisted, his eyes hard. I imagined
I could see flames flashing in them and I laughed again. Jed really
needed to lighten up or he was going to have a heart attack before
he reached 28. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked, but he was
looking at Wraith like the whole thing was his fault.

“I was just showing her a good time,” Wraith
said, with a sneer. “I don’t think she’s laughed in a while.”

I looked at Wraith, and my mouth dropped
open. How did he know that? And was he deliberately baiting Jed?
Jed’s jaw clenched and he took another step toward Wraith. I
stepped between them and put a hand on Jed’s shoulder. He looked at
me, pain flashing in his eyes, and moved back until I couldn’t
reach him anymore. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“It was fun,” I said. “You should try
it.”

“I’ll hold you,” Wraith said, in a mocking
lilt.

Jed just glared at him until the others
caught up to us. Angelica was too enthralled with Jeremiah to
notice Jed or his angry expression, but Henry noticed it and he
gave me a look, eyebrows raised. I shook my head and looked away,
to let him know we still had to play that we were fighting. Henry
walked over to a big rock and sat down, taking off his pack and
pulling out lunch. Jed sat with Henry. Wraith took my hand and led
me over to sit as close to the cliff edge as possible.

“He’s going to have a hard time letting you
go if you choose to join me,” Wraith said.

I was rooting in my camelback for food and
only half listening. “I’ll still be able to see Henry, though,
right?” I wasn’t seriously considering Wraith’s offer, but it
didn’t hurt to know exactly what he was asking of me.

“I was talking about Jed,” he said. I looked
up to meet his eyes, his gaze was intense. “Jed seems abnormally
protective of you. He won’t accept your leaving easily.”

I looked away, not wanting Wraith to see the
hope that lit my eyes at the thought that Jed might miss me if I
left. I pulled out a package of snack crackers and shrugged. “He’ll
be fine. We aren’t that close.”

“I see,” he said, but his tone contradicted
his words. “And the answer is no. You won’t be able to see any of
your old friends if you join me. I don’t offer vacation time or
benefits packages.”

“Wow,” I said, letting sarcasm drip from my
tone. “Don’t waste any time romancing me or anything. I really am
as easy as they say.”

His eyes widened and he laughed. “You’ll give
up a lot for me, but I’ll make sure you retire a wealthy and
powerful woman. You’ll be able to buy that normal life you long
for.”

“Right. And how many years do I have to work
for you to get it?”

“Just ten years, Kelsey. After that, if you
want to leave, you’ll be free to go.”

I popped a cracker in my mouth and chewed it
slowly. “Hmm,” I said when I’d finished. “So very tempting, but I
think I’ll pass.” I sounded like I meant it, but inside my heart
was racing. In ten years, the reaper war would be over and, with
enough money, I could be as eccentric as I wanted to be and people
would look the other way. The next time my friends were in trouble,
I could just buy assistance, and I’d never have to be beholden to
someone like Yvonne again.

“It is tempting,” he said, as though he could
hear my thoughts. “You just have to let go of your friends, Kelsey.
They’re slowing you down.”

I looked around at my friends and wondered if
I weren’t the one slowing them down. Angelica had Bruce back and
wouldn’t notice if I left. Henry would be fine as long as he had
Tucker. I looked at Jed and he met my gaze. There was a heat in his
eyes I’d never seen before and something tickled and warmed deep in
my belly. I expected Jed to look away, but he kept staring, even as
he frowned. It was like he couldn’t help himself. I dropped his
gaze first and tried to convince myself the heat in his eyes was
just anger, but my body called me out as the liar I was.

When we headed back down the mountain, Jed
walked with me and Wraith and we hiked in silence. I enjoyed it,
actually. Without talking to interfere, I could hear the birds in
the trees and the squirrels scampering around in the dead leaves.
The forest was waking up from winter, and I imagined I could hear
the buds opening on the trees and the bears waking up in their
dens. For a little while, I pretended I was just a regular girl
enjoying a beautiful day and I felt happier than I’d felt in a very
long time.

When we got back to the cars, the sun was
starting to set. Wraith touched my arm and smiled a silent goodbye,
unwilling I guess to break the peaceful silence. I followed Jed to
the car and we waited while Angelica and Jeremiah said their
goodbyes behind the veil of trees at the head of the trail. We
waited and waited, until Jed got pissy and honked the horn. They
emerged from the woods and we took off, back to the house, Angelica
dreamy next to Jed in the front and Henry holding my hand in the
back. Despite the scary werewolf, I felt better than I’d felt in a
long time. I’d been so afraid to take that hike and talk to Wraith,
but I’d done it and I’d survived and that felt pretty damn good.
Henry met my eyes with a worried look and I knew my good mood
couldn’t last.

There were two cars in the driveway when we
got back. Thad had returned from dropping off my mother and was
sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair. I assumed the other
car belonged to the red-head next to him, and I wondered where he’d
found her. As soon as Jed stepped out of the car, the red-head
launched herself off the porch and leapt into Jed’s arms, wrapping
her legs around his waist. Jed laughed and hugged her tight. My
heart flipped and stuttered.

The girl in his arms had big loose curls that
bounced when she did, and she was wearing jean cut-offs and a
tank-top that clearly revealed her tight, toned body. She was
probably only five feet tall, compact, with muscle over fine bones,
and completely adorable. I hated her with every fiber of my being.
Henry put an arm around my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek, but
I pushed him away. I didn’t want to feel better or be adult. It
felt too good to be jelous and petty.

She whispered something in Jed’s ear, and he
laughed again and put her down on her feet. Jed introduced us to
his friend, Tessa, then led us all into the house. Thad had
something going in the crockpot in the kitchen, and the whole house
smelled like tomato sauce and basil. My stomach rumbled and I
peeked into the crock to see what was for dinner.

“Get out of there,” Thad said, swatting me on
the butt. I turned and grinned at him.

“Len let you come back?” I asked.

Thad nodded and wrapped his arms around me
for a tight hug. “Jed’s been keeping me informed. Len thinks
something’s up here.”

“He’s right,” I said. Thad raised his
eyebrows, but I shook my head. “I’ll tell you at dinner.” I had
decided on the drive over that I was going to be open and honest
with everyone that time around. Telling them the truth about Wraith
would probably mean I’d get sent back to Varius, but not telling
them could mean leading them blindly into a dangerous situation. I
stared out the kitchen window and saw my own face reflected back at
me. The night was dark and my fear amplified as I imagined what
Wraith might be up to and all of the ways he could hurt me and my
friends. No matter what he might say or how he might make me laugh,
I couldn’t forget that he was dangerous.

Tessa told us what she knew about Wraith and
his pack while we ate. I was starving and shoveled in the spaghetti
while she talked. Tessa was a wolf, a warrior, from one of the west
coast packs and she’d tangled with Wraith and his pack of rogues,
as she called them, before. She had a long list of all the trouble
they’d caused, all the humans and wolves they’d killed, and the way
they’d terrorized Vale Hollow. Apparently, few people in town were
willing to stand up to them and they’d been growing weed and
running it to dealers in the surrounding cities for over a decade.
The locals knew to stay off their property and out of their
way.

The killing and trouble-making they did,
however, rarely had anything to do with their drug trade. They
enjoyed starting fights, and they’d run anyone out of town who
didn’t accept their view of the world or their right to claim the
town as their own. The west coast packs had sent Tessa and others
in to take out the worst offenders five times in the last eight
years, and each time the rest of the local pack would clean up
their act for a while, but they’d always pick up new pack mates and
start causing trouble again. Tessa believed Wraith was the real
instigator and, as pack alpha, he should be the one held
accountable, but they’d never had any way to prove his guilt.
Despite Tessa’s gut feelings, all tangible evidence suggested
Wraith kept the wolves in check and prevented greater violence, so
Tessa and the West Coast pack had left him in place.

Jed watched Tessa while she talked, and he
looked so damn happy to be sitting next to her. I felt like even
more of an idiot for kissing him when he was so clearly in love
with her. I said the only thing I knew would get Jed to look my
way, “Wraith has been reaped.”

Every head at the table swiveled in my
direction and they all stared at me, stunned. “Who reaped him?”
Thad asked.

I was glad I had finished eating before I’d
opened that can of worms. I pushed my plate away and steeled myself
for an argument. Angelica looked so worried, like she knew the past
couple of days were too good to last, and I hated to be the one to
cause her pain. Henry looked annoyed and I knew I’d get an earful
from him later. Doctor Veronica looked a bit green, but she’d
looked that way since Tessa had started detailing the sins of the
local pack. Tessa was wide-eyed, like a beautiful little doe, and
Thad and Jed looked angry, like they were ready for a fight. “Why
don’t we clean up the dishes and talk about this in one of the
warded bedrooms?” I said.

Angelica helped me wash the dishes in the
kitchen, while the others ferried dirty dishes and food from the
dining area. “Please, Kelsey,” Angelica said in a low voice. “Don’t
tell them.”

“You know?” I asked, and I realized I wasn’t
surprised. Bruce wouldn’t keep secrets from her.

She nodded. “If they find out, they won’t let
me see Br—Jeremiah again. They’ll send us back to Varius.”

“Maybe he’ll will come with us?”

“I already asked,” she said, shaking her
head. “He doesn’t trust them. He trusts Wraith. He likes being a
wolf and he wants to stay here.”

“Shit.” We paused the conversation as Tessa
and Jed walked in with leftovers, laughing like they were the only
people in the room. They loaded the food into Tupperware and put it
in the fridge, leaving us the dirty dishes when they walked out of
the kitchen, Jed’s arm around her shoulders.

“God, I hate her,” I mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing. Look, I understand why you want to
keep this a secret, but I’m not going to lie to them. I don’t trust
Wraith, no matter how honest he seems to be. He may not have been
there when Bruce was killed, Angelica, but he was working with Rose
before that. He knew how it was going to go down and he didn’t stop
it.” Not to mention that he’d gone along with draining and nearly
killing me, but I didn’t mention that. It was hard enough for me to
look at Wraith and see the guy who’d almost killed me, I didn’t
expect Angelica to get it. “I can’t let them stay here, without
knowing who he is. It’s too dangerous.”

Angelica grabbed my arms, her eyes glassy
with unshed tears. “Kelsey, please. Just give me one more day.”

My chest ached and I really wanted to do what
she asked, but Henry walked in, a big grin on his face and I knew I
couldn’t. I gave him a look, and his grin faltered. He turned
around and walked back out again. I wouldn’t risk Henry’s life if
there was anything I could do to keep him safe. “I want to help
you, Angelica, but Wraith is dangerous, and I don’t trust him.
They’re going to want to know who reaped Wraith, and I have to tell
them the truth.”

My head rocked back and my cheek started to
sting before I registered that Angelica’s hand had risen and swung
back. She’d slapped me. Hard. Hurt and anger warred inside me as I
stared at her. She was having no such conflict, her eyes flashing
with anger and hate. “You play the martyr so well, but when the
choices get hard, you choose yourself. I’m so sick of everyone
tiptoeing around because you’re damaged. The truth is, you aren’t
worth it.” She stormed out and I went back to washing the dishes,
not even bothering to wipe the tears off my face. I heard
footsteps, then Henry’s warm arms wrapped tight around me from
behind. I turned, not caring about my soapy hands and sobbed into
his chest. I mourned the loss of my friend, because I knew there
was no coming back from that. She’d never forgive me for taking her
away from Bruce, again.

“Shhh, shhh,” Henry said. “It’ll be
okay.”