“In a minute. You need to understand first.”
He slid his hand up her spine to the back of her neck and urged her even closer. The soothing scent of a campfire enveloped her. Unable to resist, she buried her nose in the crook of his neck and dragged in deep lungfuls. Something inside her clicked, and a sense of rightness seized her. She wanted him to cradle her against his chest and hold her close. Never let her go. He couldn’t carry away from this place, however. He didn’t have a body.
She choked on another sob and pulled his invisible form closer, not wanting to think about why she could touch him but not see him. Ghost man or not, he made her feel safe.
“They want to kill me.” She whispered the words against his neck.
“Not intentionally. They want your power and will feed off you, uncaring that doing so will kill you.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “I will save you, my flower, but you must promise me you won’t let them touch you until I can. They’ll dirty you, and you need to live for me. Be strong. Hold on to your goodness.”
Harley tipped her head back, and his pale blue eyes ensnared her. The sight of them triggered a memory. No. A dream, one she’d had forever. In it, Harley was told she had to endure. Her hero was coming for her. He’d protect her.
Unleash her.
Make her more powerful than any other.
“I promise.” The words came out of her mouth before she could think better of it. She shook off the worry over why they seemed easy to say and focused on practicalities or more importantly—the hope he offered. “But how can you save me? You’re not really here.”
“Words have power, and a vow made should not be broken. Doing so will damn you. You must remember this.”
She nodded. “Okay, but how…?”
A roar cut through the quiet that had descended around them, stopping her question. She tore her gaze from his. The veil around them wavered. Her fear rushed back. “They’re coming.”
“Yes. I can’t hold you close much longer”—he cupped her face in his hands—“so you will take my knowledge and strength with you.”
He covered her mouth with his and breathed into her. His air expanded her chest. She gripped his shirt, ready to fight him, but he didn’t hurt her. More strength filled her, along with a rush of information about the monsters after her and a slew of promises: he’d love her, protect her, and save her. The tension in her body faded once more. The truth of his vows echoed within her soul. He broke their lip lock, and dizziness gripped her. She swayed.
“You must return to me so I can finish our bond. Do you promise?”
“Yes.” The agreement came out of her mouth without thought.
“Good. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“Because I broke a promise once. I want to fulfill it.” He brushed his finger over her cheek. “With you.”
He stepped away from her.
Fear choked her with the loss of his touch. She grabbed his hand, not wanting to lose the comfort he’d given. “Don’t leave me. I’m scared. I don’t want to be alone.”
“You’ll never be alone again.” He closed his eyes. “You’re mine.”
“What do you…?”
More roars and grunts carried through the night, stopping her a second time.
“I’ll explain more once you free me.” He took several steps back. “Now, run.”
“Free you from…?”
“Our time is up. You must go. Now!” His words came out in a rush, interrupting her a third time.
“Wait!”
“Can’t. Remember your vow. You must live for me, no matter what.”
He disappeared on a puff of sulfur-scented air without answering her question. She scrunched her nose against the pungent odor. It overpowered his lingering scent and churned her gut. Confusion rushed up, but stark terror replaced it before she could process the odd encounter. The man who’d attacked her mom stepped from the woods. Blood covered his hands and shirt.
She screamed a third time and backed up.
“Don’t run from me, Harley.” He held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m the one you’ve been waiting for. Didn’t they tell you I was coming?”
His question froze her in place. “Who?”
He grinned, showing off his bloodstained, pointy teeth. “The angels, of course.”
More flashes from her childhood dreams danced through her mind—majestic buildings, puffy white clouds, and the heart-stopping, beautiful faces of men who’d always wiped away her tears and sang of eternal love.
No. Can’t be. She didn’t want to believe it. “Angels?”
He dipped his head. A look of reverence chased the evil glint from his eyes. “Yes, angels. They’ve been watching over your soul for a millennium. It’s finally time for you to accept your heritage.”
His words mirrored those spoken in her dreams. “Which is?”
“You’re one of us. The strongest of all.”
“You’re a little monster, Harley.” Her mom’s voice echoed in Harley’s head. “But you need to be a good girl. Can you do that for me? Be a good girl?”
Her stomach dropped. She shook her head. “No. I’m not one of you.”
“Yes, you are.” He held his hand out to her. “Come here, and I’ll help you unleash the power you hold.”
She glanced from where blood dripped from his pointed nails to his face. She couldn’t be like him. He was…
“You’re a fairy.” That was who her ghost man had warned about in those brief seconds he’d kissed her—the Unseelie Fairy Court. Her ghost hero hunted them and kept the world free of their tainted influence.
“I’m not a fairy. You are. And soon”—he swept his lust-hazed, hungry gaze over her—“you’ll be mine.”
“No.” She didn’t want to be a fairy. They were evil, corrupted…
Bad.
“You need to be a good. Can you do that?”
Her mother’s words morphed into screams that demanded retribution. Harley couldn’t deliver the revenge her family deserved. She had to be good… She had to remain a Seelie, a good fairy. That was what her mom had meant. There was only one
