She snapped her teeth at him like an alligator. Niko yanked his hand away just in time.
“I always like ’em rough.” Travis strengthened his grip and disappeared with Janika as she cursed a blue streak.
Though autumn hadn’t officially called Georgia home, a fire danced in Niko’s ornate fireplace. He liked keeping the temperature in his bedroom frigid so he could enjoy the shadows a fire brought into a room. He sat cross-legged on his plaid upholstered reading chair, leafing through the pages of
“Boy, do I feel popular today,” Niko said. He snapped the book shut and it disappeared. A chair, matching his own, appeared opposite from where he sat. “Might as well sit down while you’re here.”
Tomas strode out of the shadows, removing his suit jacket as he went. He draped it over the chair’s back before settling into its cushions. Niko snapped and a small table with a snifter of the finest brandy materialized by Tomas’s left. His mentor picked up the glass and swirled its contents before taking a sip. He closed his eyes and sighed as the amber liquid made its way down his throat.
“You always know what I like,” Tomas said.
“Only the best for you.” Niko sat back and studied the flames. “I’m assuming you’re here because of the little incident with Janika this afternoon.”
“Travis has that handled. She’s unpredictable at the best of times.” Tomas returned the snifter to the table and mimicked Niko’s pose. “You’re still alive, so I assume she didn’t do any lasting damage.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Nikolas…”
“Get on with it.” He removed his gaze from the blaze to level it at Tomas. The golden light played over the planes of his face. “You’ve never been one to mince words with me.”
Tomas folded his arms. “Tell me about the girl, then.”
His treacherous eyebrows, a part of his anatomy he’d always been hard-pressed to control, rose. “I won’t even get a chance to play ignorant, will I?”
The older Reaper shook his head from left to right slowly. “You already mentioned her earlier. And you know you can never hide anything from me for long.”
“Oh?”
“Well, almost anything.” The lines at the sides of Tomas’s lips deepened. “I must apologize for not seeing your condition sooner. I would have helped if I’d been more observant of you. But knowing that you are all grown, and that you know what it means to be a Reaper, I assumed you’d be careful. I assume many things.”
Niko didn’t acknowledge the concern he found on the face of his mentor. He preferred to leave his lapse into depression behind him for better, sweeter things. “Have you ever been in love, Tomas?”
Regaining his composure, Tomas unfolded his arms and had them resting at his sides. “Yes. With each lifetime, I’m fortunate to find someone to share my life with. You’ve seen my wives.”
“And you loved all of them?”
Tomas nodded. “Every time I am reborn, I find that women are different. And each of my wives were perfect representatives of her time. Our master may not have given us the ability to have children, but he certainly allows us to build a family.”
Considering his next words, Niko said, “But none of them stood out? Like someone you believe you’d be in love with no matter how many times you’re reborn.”
Taking a large gulp of his brandy at the time, Tomas coughed. “Gracious, no,” he replied when his windpipes permitted. “Are you saying what you feel for this girl is something like that?”
“I don’t know.” Niko rested his chin in an open palm. “This is the first time I’ve ever felt anything for anyone. And what I feel for her frightens me. It’s only been a few days and I already find myself never wanting to part with her. Is that even normal?”
“First loves are always very potent.” A sage air floated around Tomas. “It’s the time when you are impulsive. You want everything and anything you can get from this person. You think that it is forever. Sometimes it is, but more often than not, it’s a fleeting fancy. Then you move on to your next love. You’re inexperienced with these things, Nikolas. Believe me, I was like that once. A naive pup that lusted for anything I could get my hands on.”
“I don’t think my feelings for Arianne have something to do with lust. I certainly crave her like the sweetest strawberries, but it’s not only her body that I want. When we kissed—”
“You’ve already kissed?” Tomas leaned forward. “Kids these days really do move fast.”
Niko recalled his earlier conversation with Desmond. “She kissed me.”
“With the way you look, I wouldn’t be surprised. All Reapers are blessed with good looks.”
“Let’s not sully the moment with gutter talk, please, Tomas.” His defensive tone surprised them both.
Tomas broke their stunned silence first. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“And why is that?”
“Like I said, she is your first love. Let it run its course.” Tomas stood and shrugged on his jacket. “Enjoy yourself with her. Live your life the way humans do. I’m happy that you found someone you can be with. Took you long enough.”
“Why do I have a feeling you’ve been taking bets on me?” Niko grimaced in disgust.
“Because we have. And I just won the pool.” His mentor grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “Just remember that your responsibilities come first.”
Chapter 14
BY SATURDAY, ALL OF BLACKWOOD seemed in mourning as Arianne rode the bus into Atlanta. She’d been glad to leave the sad town behind for a couple of hours. The pile-up took more lives than she had thought, and memorials happened one after the other. The service for Tammy’s mother would be on Sunday. An ache still made a home in Arianne’s heart. She knew she needed to attend the service. Even if she wanted to run away, she couldn’t abandon her friend. The bus seat hugged her from all sides, promoting a sense of security she’d recently discovered in the company of a certain delectable boy.
Niko had been attentive yet distant for the rest of the week. Mr. Todd had made them permanent partners in anticipation of the fact that Carl and Tammy might not return to school for a while. Niko had made sure to handle all the more dangerous—at least to Arianne—aspects of the experiments. But he wouldn’t talk to her about anything that steered remotely close to what happened in the In Between. Not that Arianne complained. She couldn’t show more than cordial attention either. Darla had drawn a line in the sand by staking her claim.
She’d stepped off the bus without really thinking about her surroundings, missing the Mustang that breezed by. She crossed the street and walked into St. Joseph’s with no regard for the souls taking strolls along the halls. She couldn’t wait to tell Carrie about the kiss—Niko’s, not Darla’s. She’d kept Carrie in the dark about what she’d shared with Darla during a time when she didn’t think of the consequences of what she’d been doing. Making Ben promise never to mention the bullying either, Arianne only told Carrie about the lighter things that happened in her life.
At the door to Carrie’s room, familiar hushed voices stopped her from entering. The wall provided her cover as she peeked in.
“Tell me about the game,” Carrie said. She had a sheet pulled up to her waist while pillows propped her up like a queen.
Ben—without his cap on—reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a baseball. He made his way to Carrie’s bed and handed her the ball. She cradled it in both her hands with care, as if he’d given her a precious object. He lowered the guard rail on his side and sat at the edge of her bed, his hands on his thigh, and looked at Carrie in a way Arianne had never seen, the way you’d watch the sun rise over a mountain ridge. His face
