The Rift (27 page)

He relaxed just a bit. “And now? What’s
changed?”

“He could no longer resist my multiple and
overwhelming charms,” I said. Henry kept staring at me. “He held
back before, because he thought I was happy with you, and because
he thought I’d be better off without him. Now, he thinks we can
keep our relationship a secret. You and I are going to continue to
pretend to date, and Jed and I are going to date for real.”

“I don’t know about that, Kelsey. You’ve
changed. You look happier, hopeful, and if anyone sees the two of
you together—”

“So they won’t see us together,” I said. “Or
we’ll fight all the time in public. Hate is close to love, right?
We’ll make it work, Henry. We have to. I can’t walk away from him,
now.”

He smiled and wrapped an arm around my
shoulders, pulling me tight to his side. He kissed me on the top of
my head. “I’m happy for you.”

We stayed like that, close and happy, just
enjoying what was good about our lives and that moment.

When Wraith appeared at the end of the hall
and started toward us, he looked healthier than he had in a while.
It looked like he was overcoming whatever problem his new body was
having with his soul. When I saw the reaper he had with him, I
leapt to my feet and backed away. “What is he doing here?” I
asked.

Wraith stepped to the door without looking at
me, and Caleb stopped right in front of me and sneered. “He’s
taking Bruce’s place in Jeremiah’s body,” Wraith said.

“But Caleb hasn’t been a reaper much longer
than Bruce, he can’t be strong enough.”

Caleb gave me a long look from my head to my
feet. “You’re looking really good, Kelsey, and I’ll have a new body
soon. Any chance you’ll want to—”

“No,” I said, shuddering and pressing myself
against the wall. I knew Caleb was trying to get a reaction out of
me, but I didn’t care. The dude was repulsive. Caleb laughed, but I
looked at Wraith who was watching me, his hand still on the
doorknob. “Seriously, Wraith, what are you thinking?”

“I’ve been working out, Kelsey,” Caleb said.
“Drinking my reaper shakes and taking my vitamins. Doing things
Bruce refused to do. I’m stronger than he’ll ever be.”

I shuddered again as I realized what Caleb
was talking about. He’d been absorbing the life energy of other
reapers, he’d been killing other reapers. Henry squeezed my arm and
I kept my eyes on Wraith. “He’s crazy, Wraith. Why are you doing
this?”

“Crazy’s not always a bad thing, Kelsey,”
Wraith said.

Caleb reached out with ghostly fingers and
stopped just centimeters from skin. He cupped his hand in the air
like he was cupping my face. “You’re Wraith’s enemy, which makes
you mine. I think I’m going to enjoy opposing you.”

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. “You told
him I’m the enemy?” I’d known Wraith considered me such, but I
hadn’t expected him to be telling everyone else already. Especially
not Caleb. Even if he was my adversary, I still thought he liked me
at least a little bit.

Wraith tried to pretend nonchalance, but it
was too late. I’d seen the anger that hardened his face when I told
him what Caleb had said. Wraith gave me a slow smile. “It’s the
truth, sweetheart.” He looked back in Caleb’s general direction,
but it was clear he couldn’t actually see him. I wondered who he
had working for him that could talk to reapers, someone he didn’t
want me to know about.

Caleb didn’t take his eyes off me. “This
isn’t goodbye,” he said. Then he stepped away and followed Wraith
into Jeremiah’s room.

A part of me wanted to stay in the hall with
Henry, but I’d gone there to help Angelica and I intended to see it
through. Inside, Jeremiah was so still he looked dead. Caleb
slipped into his body like it was the easiest thing. I suppose it
was, since Bruce’s soul was weak and just barely hanging on. Tucker
popped up after Caleb had entered Jeremiah’s body. “Kelsey, we’ve
got trouble,” he said. I watched for a moment, as Jeremiah’s body
bucked and moaned, then I walked out into the hall with Tucker and
Henry. Angelica was clinging to Wraith, anyway, and I didn’t think
she even noticed I was in the room.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Tucker stared at the door pointedly. “You
tell me, first.”

I filled Tucker in on what was happening with
Jeremiah and he started pacing. “Shit, Kelsey, this isn’t
good.”

“What isn’t good? What’s going on?”

“About fifteen new reapers just came to town,
and I do mean new, Kelsey. We’re talking recently deceased.” Tucker
looked at Henry, and they made a face at each other that only they
could interpret.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Tucker sent his gaze heavenward like he was
asking for help from a higher power.

“It means,” Henry said. “That Wraith is going
to try to make this town a reaper-held town. It’s pretty perfect,
actually. The wolves already run the town, so the reapers can take
whomever they want, and the wolves will make sure no one asks
questions.”

I thought of the people we’d seen when we’d
spent time in the town. There had been young couples in love and
children running and laughing in the streets. The elderly couple in
the bakery who’d been so focused on each other they hadn’t even
noticed me and Angelica walk into the shop. The town might not be
perfect with the wolf mafia running it, but the people there seemed
happy and healthy and they didn’t deserve to have their lives
shattered or reaped. “We have to stop them.” My heart pounded and
my throat went dry, but I knew I had to push my fear away and
fight. I’d given up my own dreams and life to work for Varius and
to fight the reapers, to save the lives of innocent people, and I
wasn’t going to let my fear rule me.

Tucker nodded. “We need to get back to the
house and have Jed call Varius. We’re going to need back up.”

“We just have to wait for Wraith to finish
up,” I said. “He’s our ride.”

Tucker’s eyes widened. “You and Henry came
here alone with that asshole
after
he declared you his
enemy?”

“I wanted to be here for Angelica.”

“Sometimes, Kelsey,” Tucker said. “As much as
I love you, sometimes I think you’re just too stupid to live.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Henry asked.

Tucker looked at him and his expression
softened. “Since you aren’t an idiot, I’m going to guess Kelsey
didn’t tell you about her conversation with Wraith when she
convinced you to come out here with her.”

“You’d be right,” Henry said.

“If he wanted to kill me, he would have done
it, but he’s still hoping to change my mind,” I said. It wasn’t the
first time Tucker had called me an idiot, but I still didn’t like
it.

“Since that hasn’t worked,” Tucker said.
“He’s probably got some plan for you that involves public
humiliation and torture.”

“I don’t think—”

“I’m calling Thad, right now.” Henry pulled
out his cell phone and dialed, but Thad didn’t answer. He tried
Jed, then he tried Doctor Veronica, but no one picked up. “I’ve got
a bad feeling about this,” he said.

“I’ll go there now and check it out,” Tucker
said. “You two try not to get yourselves killed.” He was gone in a
moment. Henry and I leaned against the wall and waited
silently.

Tucker was back in less than five minutes.
“They’ve got trouble at the house,” he said. “Wraith’s wolves have
attacked.”

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

Tucker shrugged. “They’re holding their own,
but they were caught off-guard, and the wolves have the upper hand.
We should get Wraith over there now to call them off.”

I nodded and reached to open the door just as
it opened on its own. Wraith walked out with Angelica. She was pale
and walking like she was asleep on her feet. I saw Bruce’s ghost
hovering around her and Jeremiah on his feet, looking healthy,
behind them, so I figured the switch had gone smoothly.

“Kelsey,” Angelica said, her voice an
exhausted whisper. “Is he still here? Is Bruce here?”

“Yes,” I said. “He’s here.” When I looked
back at Bruce, Abigail had joined him. Her hand was clasped in his
and she had her head on his shoulder. I didn’t think Angelica
needed to know that Abigail was cozying up to Bruce, but it was
something I would be talking to him about, later.

Angelica sighed and drooped and didn’t ask me
for any more than that. I looked at Wraith. “Your wolves are
attacking my friends.”

Wraith shrugged and smiled a bit, but the
smile seemed forced. “Not my problem, Kelsey. In fact, if the
wolves take out the west coast pack and your friends, my friends
and I will be better off.”

Shit. “Fine, don’t help us, but at least take
us back there so we can help them.”

“Well, I’d really like to do that, but
Angelica is in no state to be thrown into a fight, and I need to
protect my investment. I’m going to get her some lunch and some
sleep. I’ll take you all back when I’m ready.”

Something hardened in Angelica’s face, and
she stood a little straighter. “I don’t need food or sleep. I want
to go back to the house,” she said. “I’d ask you to call off your
wolves, but I know they stopped listening to you a week ago.”

Wraith turned on her, his face red and
twisted with anger. “You work for me, now. If you want to live
you’ll learn to keep your mouth shut and not ask me for any
favors.”

Angelica shrugged. “What will you do? Kill
me? If I die, I’ll be able to see Bruce’s face again. I’ll leave
all of this fighting and bullshit behind. You would benefit from
your wolves being taken out, anyway, right?”

Wraith leaned into Angelica until their noses
were touching. Bruce bounced around them, a panicked look on his
face. “You have no idea what it’s like on the other side, girl. I
have more friends there than you do. You step in line or I’ll make
sure Bruce’s existence is miserable and, when I kill you, I’ll make
sure you never see him again.”

Angelica’s shoulders slumped, but her
expression didn’t change. “I’m sorry for saying more than I should,
Wraith. I still think it would be in your best interest to help
Kelsey’s friends. The pack will be coming after you next.”

Wraith took a step back from her, still
glaring, and slowly nodded. “Fine, we’ll all go, but don’t any of
you forget that you and everyone in that house are now my enemies.
If I see the chance to hurt any of you, I’ll take it. And if I find
out who made Kelsey change her mind about joining me, I’ll kill
him,” he looked at Henry and then at Angelica, “or her.”

“Great,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let’s
go.”

Somehow, Jeremiah managed to get a seat next
to me in Wraith’s SUV. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me
tight to his side, while Wraith stood outside and made a phone
call. I tried to wriggle away from him, but he was too strong. He
smiled down at me, somehow looking different than Jeremiah had
looked with Bruce’s spirit in his body. “I like this new body,” he
said. “And I have a feeling you’re going to like it, too.”

“Get your hands off me.” I spit the words,
more angry and scared than I’d been since the last time I’d seen
Caleb. I looked around the car for help and met Wraith’s eyes in
the rearview mirror as he slid into the driver’s seat. He turned
his attention to starting the engine before I could say anything
but, for a moment, I’d seen a fire in his eyes that looked like
anger.

“Caleb, leave her alone.” The sound of
Henry’s voice reminded me that I wasn’t the same girl I’d been the
last time Caleb hurt me. I grabbed his nearest nipple and twisted
with everything I had. Jeremiah screeched and swatted me off, then
he took his arm off my shoulders and put some space between us.

He leaned over and pressed his mouth against
my ear. “I know why you chose Varius over Wraith, Kelsey, and,
unless you want me to tell him, you’d best play nice.”

“Hey, idiot,” Wraith said. “Wolf, remember? I
can hear every word you just said.”

Jeremiah laughed, but I heard the nervousness
in his voice. “I’m just having a little fun with Kelsey.”

“Well, stop having fun with her,” Wraith
said. “If she’s not with Varius, she’s with me. In no scenario is
she with you, so back off.”

My chest felt tight, and I let out a breath I
hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Wraith didn’t ask Jeremiah what
he knew, and I hoped he never would.
If
Jeremiah knew
anything, which I sort of doubted. He was too arrogant to believe
I’d choose his brother over him. Just to be safe, I slipped my arm
around Henry’s waist and kissed him on the cheek. Henry stiffened,
but I smiled at Wraith when his eyes met mine in the rearview
mirror.

Wraith laughed. “Give it up, Kelsey. I know
he’s not the reason you left Varius, but it’s interesting to know
that you’d be willing to risk his life to protect the real
reason.”

Henry scooted away from me and stared out the
window. I’d fucked up, yet again, and there was no one to blame but
my idiot self. I’d acted without thinking, and Henry could have
been in serious trouble for my mistake. Luckily, Tucker was out
scouting so he wasn’t there to rain abuse on me.

We rode the rest of the way to the house in
silence and, when we arrived, it looked like nothing was happening.
The house looked as quiet and perfect as it had the first day we’d
arrived. Until a wolf flew out a second floor window and landed on
the hood of Wraith’s SUV. The wolf shook himself and leapt back
into the house without a glance at us. I just sat there and stared.
I wanted to go in and help my friends, but I wasn’t sure how to
fight wolves, and I didn’t even know how to tell which ones were
friendly and which ones weren’t.

“Do we have a plan?” I asked.

Angelica twisted in her seat and looked back
at me. “I can set up a field around the house so that no one can
leave,” she said. “But that’s about all I can do, unless you want
me to read their auras. I haven’t learned any offensive spells,
yet.”