Wicked Kiss
Page 114
His lips twitched. “Thanks. I think.”
Bishop went back into the church, but I stood out there for a few more minutes trying to breathe. Trying to stay calm. Trying not to get overwhelmed.
Yeah. Good luck with that.
It had been exhausting, but if there was one thing I’d done right tonight, it was to show Kraven and Bishop the truth. What they’d do with it after so many years of bad blood between them, I honestly didn’t know.
As I turned toward the door to go back inside and join the others, something caught my eye. Somebody was walking along the sidewalk on the other side of the road without sparing a glance toward the church.
It was Roth.
Despite our many issues, my heart ached for him. It was only last night that Cassandra had been lost to the Hollow—torn right out of his arms.
Is this what he’d been doing ever since? Walking the city all alone?
I needed to talk to him, to tell him to come back to St. Andrew’s to be with people who cared about him, who might be able to help him with his grief.
Before he turned the corner up ahead, I started after him. I was about to call out his name when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
A scream caught in my throat and I spun around to face...Jordan.
“Hey,” she said, her brows drawn together. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Uh...I need to—”
“You’re just going to leave me here with the Three Stooges? By the way, for three hot guys, they are seriously weird, and not just because they’re all supernatural. If you’re leaving, so am I.”
Roth was getting farther away and I couldn’t let him out of my sight. I grabbed Jordan’s arm and started walking faster. Her long legs helped her more than keep up.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I need to talk to Roth.”
The demon was fifty yards ahead of us and moving fast. “Doesn’t look like he wants to talk to you.”
“I need to help him.”
“From what I’ve heard tonight, you need to be a little more concerned with helping yourself.” She glanced to the left to see the outline of downtown, including skyscrapers and office buildings. The glow from the sign on the side of the massive St. Edward’s hospital lit up the night.
“Thank you for your opinion.”
Her gaze tracked behind us and there was something about her expression. Something wounded and lost.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“He’s close.”
“Who’s close?” Then I grimaced. “Are you talking about Stephen?”
She inhaled sharply. “Who else? He’s around, Samantha. I can feel it.”
I hesitated, knowing this was a dangerous subject to get into with Jordan. “It was rough for a couple days there, but I honestly don’t think he’s going to try to hurt you again, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“I should hate him.”
“You have every right to feel that way.”
Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and I couldn’t help but notice her eyes were now glistening. “I’m not like those girls who are into guys who treat them like crap. I see it all the time, some of my friends are so pathetic when it comes to loser guys who obviously don’t really love them. They cheat on them, hurt them, treat them like garbage, borrow money from them and never pay them back...and yet as soon as the guy texts, they’re all excited again. Pathetic.”
“I have to agree.”
“I’m not like that.”
“Trust me, Jordan. I don’t believe you’re like that, either.”
A tear slipped down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away. “Then why can’t I hate him?”
My heart twisted. “I guess because real love’s not that easy to destroy.”
“That’s really stupid.”
“Yeah, it is.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But you need to prepare yourself. Things aren’t going to get better for him. His soul is gone. He’s a gray—possibly the last one in the city. If the guys find him, it’s their mission to kill him. He’s a threat and he can’t be helped.”
“There has to be a way,” she whispered.
“I wish there was.”
She looked directly at me as we continued to walk. “Do you really mean that?”
I nodded. “I really do.”
And then I slammed right into Roth’s chest.
“Following me?” he asked when I realized what had happened.
He’d stopped walking, turned around to watch our approach, and I hadn’t noticed a damn thing since I’d been discussing Jordan’s love life, which was, quite possibly, even more complicated than my own.
I searched his face, my heart pounding hard. “Roth, I’m glad you stopped. You need to come back to the church. The guys are worried about you.”
“What about you, Samantha?” His face twisted into an unpleasant smile. “Are you worried, too?”
His tone could easily be described as the opposite of friendly.
“Actually, yes. I am. Look, I know what happened last night was horrible. It was hard for all of us. But you need to—”
“Shh.” He pressed his index finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?”
I stopped and listened. “Hear what?”
“Me not caring about your opinion. But thank you for attempting to give it to me anyway. Do you think you can fix everything with a few words? You’re a teenager, barely out of diapers. You could never understand how I feel. And I don’t really want you to try. Okay?” His cruel grin stretched. “But I am really glad you followed me, even if you brought a friend. Won’t matter in the end, I suppose.”
Bishop went back into the church, but I stood out there for a few more minutes trying to breathe. Trying to stay calm. Trying not to get overwhelmed.
Yeah. Good luck with that.
It had been exhausting, but if there was one thing I’d done right tonight, it was to show Kraven and Bishop the truth. What they’d do with it after so many years of bad blood between them, I honestly didn’t know.
As I turned toward the door to go back inside and join the others, something caught my eye. Somebody was walking along the sidewalk on the other side of the road without sparing a glance toward the church.
It was Roth.
Despite our many issues, my heart ached for him. It was only last night that Cassandra had been lost to the Hollow—torn right out of his arms.
Is this what he’d been doing ever since? Walking the city all alone?
I needed to talk to him, to tell him to come back to St. Andrew’s to be with people who cared about him, who might be able to help him with his grief.
Before he turned the corner up ahead, I started after him. I was about to call out his name when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
A scream caught in my throat and I spun around to face...Jordan.
“Hey,” she said, her brows drawn together. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Uh...I need to—”
“You’re just going to leave me here with the Three Stooges? By the way, for three hot guys, they are seriously weird, and not just because they’re all supernatural. If you’re leaving, so am I.”
Roth was getting farther away and I couldn’t let him out of my sight. I grabbed Jordan’s arm and started walking faster. Her long legs helped her more than keep up.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I need to talk to Roth.”
The demon was fifty yards ahead of us and moving fast. “Doesn’t look like he wants to talk to you.”
“I need to help him.”
“From what I’ve heard tonight, you need to be a little more concerned with helping yourself.” She glanced to the left to see the outline of downtown, including skyscrapers and office buildings. The glow from the sign on the side of the massive St. Edward’s hospital lit up the night.
“Thank you for your opinion.”
Her gaze tracked behind us and there was something about her expression. Something wounded and lost.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“He’s close.”
“Who’s close?” Then I grimaced. “Are you talking about Stephen?”
She inhaled sharply. “Who else? He’s around, Samantha. I can feel it.”
I hesitated, knowing this was a dangerous subject to get into with Jordan. “It was rough for a couple days there, but I honestly don’t think he’s going to try to hurt you again, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“I should hate him.”
“You have every right to feel that way.”
Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and I couldn’t help but notice her eyes were now glistening. “I’m not like those girls who are into guys who treat them like crap. I see it all the time, some of my friends are so pathetic when it comes to loser guys who obviously don’t really love them. They cheat on them, hurt them, treat them like garbage, borrow money from them and never pay them back...and yet as soon as the guy texts, they’re all excited again. Pathetic.”
“I have to agree.”
“I’m not like that.”
“Trust me, Jordan. I don’t believe you’re like that, either.”
A tear slipped down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away. “Then why can’t I hate him?”
My heart twisted. “I guess because real love’s not that easy to destroy.”
“That’s really stupid.”
“Yeah, it is.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But you need to prepare yourself. Things aren’t going to get better for him. His soul is gone. He’s a gray—possibly the last one in the city. If the guys find him, it’s their mission to kill him. He’s a threat and he can’t be helped.”
“There has to be a way,” she whispered.
“I wish there was.”
She looked directly at me as we continued to walk. “Do you really mean that?”
I nodded. “I really do.”
And then I slammed right into Roth’s chest.
“Following me?” he asked when I realized what had happened.
He’d stopped walking, turned around to watch our approach, and I hadn’t noticed a damn thing since I’d been discussing Jordan’s love life, which was, quite possibly, even more complicated than my own.
I searched his face, my heart pounding hard. “Roth, I’m glad you stopped. You need to come back to the church. The guys are worried about you.”
“What about you, Samantha?” His face twisted into an unpleasant smile. “Are you worried, too?”
His tone could easily be described as the opposite of friendly.
“Actually, yes. I am. Look, I know what happened last night was horrible. It was hard for all of us. But you need to—”
“Shh.” He pressed his index finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?”
I stopped and listened. “Hear what?”
“Me not caring about your opinion. But thank you for attempting to give it to me anyway. Do you think you can fix everything with a few words? You’re a teenager, barely out of diapers. You could never understand how I feel. And I don’t really want you to try. Okay?” His cruel grin stretched. “But I am really glad you followed me, even if you brought a friend. Won’t matter in the end, I suppose.”
