The Rift (8 page)

“More compliant? She wants me to delete, to
destroy, reapers on
her
whim. She wants my blood and tissue.
I don’t even want to think about what she might do with those. I
don’t want to wake up one day and see fifteen Kelsey clones running
around.”

Jed opened and closed his mouth like a fish
out of water, before he relaxed and smiled, then laughed. “You
think she wants to clone you? Kelsey, we’re nowhere near having
that kind of technology.”

His laughter grated on my nerves. “I don’t
know what kind of technology you have. The bottom line is, I don’t
trust her.”

Jed sobered immediately and looked at me with
something like sympathy. “Do you trust me?”

I wanted to lie, but I couldn’t. Jed had
never lied to me. “I trust you to keep me safe here in this house.
I trust you to have my back when we go into the town. I just think
that ultimately your loyalty is to Varius, to your mother, and if
she asks you to…clone me, you’ll do it.”

Jed dropped his gaze to the floor and shook
his head. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You have no
idea what she’s asked me to do.”

“So tell me,” I said. “Please, Jed, tell
me.”

He looked up at me and opened his mouth, then
he looked at Henry and Angelica, and shut it again. “We should get
going. Let’s all meet out front in ten minutes.”

I walked back to my room, feeling angry and
hurt, and scared of what Jed wasn’t telling me. Henry followed me
into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. “Wanna tell me what
that was all about?” he asked.

“It should have been pretty
self-explanatory.” I dug through my dresser for clothes that were a
little spiffier than the baggy t-shirt and jeans I was wearing. I
pulled out my newest pair of jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt, laid
them on top of the dresser and started to get undressed.

Behind me, Henry whistled. “Kelsey, I think
it’s time you stopped hiding your light under a bushel.”

I turned to find him holding a pretty, tiny
sundress. “What? You want me to wear that? Then everyone will
know…”

Henry nodded. “That you are built like a
brick shit house, toned to within an inch of your life, and ready
to kick the stuffing out of anyone who messes with you or your
people? Exactly. You are the muscle on this outing, right? You’re
going along to keep Angelica safe, so I think it makes perfect
sense for you to show off your guns. Besides, I’m getting tired of
Jed treating you like an addict. It’s time he knew the truth.”

“So he can go running back to Mommy and tell
her all about it?”

“So what if he does?” he asked. “What’s she
going to do? No one can prove anything. They’ve seen you at the gym
and jogging around campus. Your buffness doesn’t prove I’ve been
illegally training you.”

The dress was simple enough to appear casual,
and it looked cute hanging from Henry’s hand. It was white cotton,
with spaghetti straps, a fitted waist, and red poppies that started
at the top of the dress and appeared to flutter down and pile-up at
the hemline. It had been a very long time since I’d had a reason to
wear anything pretty, and I couldn’t argue with Henry’s logic.
Showing off my muscles wasn’t giving all of my secrets away, and if
there was ever a good time to look fit and strong that was it.

I took the dress and shimmied into it. It was
a whole lot shorter and tighter than I’d expected. It hit me at
mid-thigh and hugged every curve I had, not that I had many, but it
made me look curvy. I twisted and turned in front of the mirror,
admiring the dress and flexing my muscles. I’d been in decent shape
when I’d arrived at Varius, but Henry had worked me harder than I’d
ever been worked before and kept me on a heavy protein diet until
every bump and bulge I had was pure muscle. I’d never be as
intimidating as Jed or Henry, I just couldn’t achieve their bulk,
but I was pretty sure most people would think twice about messing
with me.

Henry handed me a pair of heavy black
shit-stomping boots that had laces and flowers embroidered on them.
They looked almost pretty, and I shrugged and put them on with the
dress. The contrast was almost too much, but after a few more
twists and turns, I decided I liked them. They made me look kind of
bad-ass and, if I needed to run or kick someone in the face, they’d
work better than cute little sandals.

Henry insisted I put on make-up and wear my
hair up, and I complied without argument. When I was done, I opened
the door to head out to the front of the house, but Henry leaned
over me and pushed the door closed. “No matter what happens,” he
said. “Act casual. Don’t get flustered or give the impression that
you care what anyone thinks. If he stares at you, don’t notice, and
if he asks what you’ve been doing to get so fit you just tell him
you haven’t been drinking, you’ve been working out.”

I turned and faced Henry. “Which
he
are we talking about here?”

“Jed.” A hint of a smile twisted one corner
of his mouth.

I felt a blush start at the base of my neck
and warm my cheeks.

“And whatever you do, don’t blush.”

“But what about you and Tucker? The drinking
was a cover for you, as well.”

He shrugged. “I don’t think anyone’s going to
be thinking about me when they see you, but even if they do…Kelsey,
if anyone’s been selfish here, it’s me and Tucker. You’ve been
unhappy for too long, and it’s time for you to get a life of your
own.”

“I don’t understand…” I said, but he just
smirked. “I’m not giving up anything. I have you and Tucker, and I
love you guys.”

He kissed me on the forehead. “We love you,
too, but you’ve been hiding behind us. It’s time for you to decide
what you want and go after it.”

Henry opened the door and pushed me out
before I could say anything else.

I stepped onto the porch, expecting to want
to run back in for a jacket, but the sun shone on the front of the
house and the air felt unseasonably warm. Jed and Angelica were
leaning against the car, chatting, but they both stopped and looked
at me when I stepped outside. Angelica smiled, and Jed froze
mid-sentence, his eyes widening. He got a hold of himself so
quickly, I wasn’t sure I’d really seen a reaction from him. He
closed his mouth and frowned, turning away from me to get into the
driver’s seat.

I shrugged and stomped down the stairs
feeling lighter than I’d felt in a long time. I got into the back
of the car with Angelica. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders
and squeezed. “When did you get so buff? You must work out like six
hours a day.”

I leaned into her, feeling, for the first
time, like our friendship might survive all of the craziness. “It’s
not like I have anything else to do.”

She nodded and stared out the window while
Henry skipped down the stairs and got into the passenger seat.
Angelica turned back to me and studied me for a long moment as Jed
started the car and backed down the driveway. “That’s not the body
of a drunk,” she said.

“No, it’s not.” I was relieved she knew I
didn’t have a drinking problem, but nervous about what the
ramifications would be for Henry and Tucker, and for me when I got
back to Varius. Yvonne might figure out she could drive me to
compliance by locking me in my room and not letting me
exercise.

We rode in silence for a few miles, the only
sound Jed grinding his teeth, until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“How do you like working for Varius?” I asked Angelica.

She shrugged. “Varius leaves me alone for the
most part. I spend all of my time training in my craft
off-campus.”

“How is that?” When Angelica and I had lived
in Briarton, before she’d learned about my connection to the
reapers, she would have given just about anything to have magical
abilities of her own.

She smiled. “It’s great. I love the women I’m
training with, they are super supportive and sweet, and I feel
whole for the first time. It’s like tapping into my abilities
filled some part of me that had been empty. I’m not learning
anything terribly exciting yet, just working on the basics of
spell-crafting and learning everything they know about
reapers.”

I studied her and realized she did look
happy, easier with herself, and calmer, than she’d been when we
lived together. “For what it’s worth,” I said. “If there was any
way I could go back and do things differently, save Bruce somehow,
I’d do it.”

“You saved me,” Angelica said, her smile
wide, but her eyes wet with tears. “I understand the choice you
made and I’m grateful for it. Don’t burden yourself with guilt or
regret about what happened that day. You did everything you could.
If I’d listened to you, I wouldn’t have even been there and maybe
you
could
have saved Bruce.”

Her words burrowed down deep into my chest
and, though nothing could truly make everything better, they did
lighten my burden a bit.

We drove into town, the main street alive
with people out and about in the gorgeous spring weather, and Jed
parked in front of a small, but well-kept bakery. The men stayed in
the car while Angelica and I went inside. An elderly couple, at the
table farthest from the door, and a burly man about our age,
reading a newspaper on a couch next to the door, were the only
customers. The young man winked at me when we walked in, and I
nodded. No reason to be rude and he was heart-stoppingly
attractive, with a well-muscled upper-body and brilliant amber eyes
that drew me in and held me. I tried not to gasp as I remembered
that Thad said werewolves had orange eyes.

We walked up to the counter, which was
covered with baskets full of brownies, cookies, cakes, rolls, and
fresh-baked breads. My stomach rumbled and the man on the couch
chuckled like he’d heard it.

The guy behind the counter had a body as
well-built as the man on the couch, but there was a softness in his
face that the other man lacked. He looked younger and kinder, but
his amber eyes flashed when he saw Angelica and narrowed when he
noticed me. “Angelica, I’m so glad you came back,” he said.
“Kelsey, it’s good to see you.” Then he looked at the man on the
couch. “Hey, Wraith, can you run the counter for a bit?”

Wraith nodded and stepped up to the counter,
his body almost brushing against mine as he walked past me.

“I’ve got a couple of things in the oven,”
Bruce, or whoever he was, said. “Just pull them out and put them on
cooling racks when the timer goes off.” Then he stepped out and
joined us. He led us to a table as far from the elderly couple as
he could possibly get and sat down. We followed suit, and I got a
good look at Angelica’s face for the first time. She was smiling so
wide I was sure her cheeks must ache and her eyes were lit by more
than the reflection of the bright sun outside. If that guy wasn’t
legit, she was going to be crushed.

“Bruce,” Angelica started, but he laid his
big hand over hers.

“Please, my name is Jeremiah now,” he said.
“I don’t want to risk anyone overhearing.”

She nodded. “I like it. It suits you.”

I was pretty sure she’d have said the same
thing if he’d said his name was Mud. Jeremiah looked at me. “Do you
think Angelica and I could have a few moments alone?”

“Nope,” I said, not feeling the least bit
bad. “Not until you convince me you are who you say you are.”

He leaned back in his seat, and looked me
over, a small smile drifting lazily up into being. A reaper with
curly hair and a wicked sneer drifted into focus behind him.
Abigail, the reaper who’d cursed his family and claimed to be in
love with Bruce, was still with him. She smiled, winked, and
vanished. “You and I went to dinner together because I wanted you
to know that Landon had been a good guy once,” Bruce said, unaware
of his ghost. “We kissed afterward, and it was one of the worst
kisses I ever had. We tried to be friends, but we never really
connected and, in the end, the only reason I tolerated you was
because I loved Angelica, and she loved you. In my opinion, you
placed Angelica in danger and it’s your fault I’m dead. I don’t
think you truly care about anybody but yourself.” His words hit me
like a punch to the gut, knocking the air from me in a whoosh. I
tried to keep my face and body from showing any signs of the hurt
he’d caused me, but I’m not sure I succeeded. He and I had never
been friends, but hearing him repeat the accusations I’d slung at
myself felt a bit like pulling a scab from a wound that hadn’t
quite healed.

“Bruce!” Angelica said.

Jeremiah turned and looked at Angelica and
his expression softened just a bit, the smile looking less like a
threat and more like happiness. “I’m sorry, sweet girl, but one
thing I learned from dying is that life’s too short to waste time
being nice to people who screw you over and fuck everything
up.”

“But it’s not—”

“It’s fine.” I pushed my chair back and
stood. “The man has a right to his opinion and he’s convinced me he
really is Bruce.” I walked away and took a seat at a table where I
could keep an eye on them without overhearing their conversation.
They held hands and leaned in close to one another, each of them
intent on the other. I let familiar guilt wash over me. I’d known
the reapers needed Bruce for their ceremony in Briarton, but I
hadn’t known they were going to kill him. The ceremony was supposed
to have ended the generations-long curse against Bruce’s family and
create a power well the reapers could have used to gain more
energy. I’d been in the room when he’d been killed, but I’d saved
Angelica instead of him. The what-ifs ate at me like a disease,
despite what Angelica had said in the car on the way over. If I had
acted more quickly. If I had gotten a promise from Varius not to
let Bruce get hurt. If I had kept my distance from Angelica in the
first place. If I’d known how it was all going to go down. I’d have
moved out of our place as soon as Landon’s ghost started harassing
me. I never would have introduced her to Bruce. I’d have stayed
far, far away from her. Then maybe she’d still be there. Maybe
she’d be happy and whole and not in love with a dead guy in a
wolf’s body.