Текст книги "Deity"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

“Why do you think you need to turn yourself in, Alex?”

I scooted back and tucked my legs under me. The distance helped a little. “Seth said that there’s a good chance Telly can prove that it was you or that he will make a move against everyone he suspects.”

He twisted around, facing me. “It doesn’t matter if he does, Alex. Going to Telly means the end of you. Don’t you understand that?”

“Not going to Telly could mean the end of you—of anyone who he thinks may have helped me.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You sound like Seth—like no one else’s life is important but mine. That’s bullshit.” I rose to my knees, dragging in a deep breath. “What if Telly does something to you? Or to Laadan or Leon or Marcus? You expect me to be okay with that? To live with that?”

Aiden’s eyes darkened. “Yes, I expect you to live with that.”

“That’s insane.” I climbed off the bed, feeling the spicy rush of anger. “You’re insane!”

He watched me calmly. “It’s the way it is.”

“You can’t say that my life is more important than yours. That’s not right.”

“But your life ismore important to me.”

“Do you hear yourself?” I stopped in front of him, hands shaking. “How can you make that decision for other people—for Laadan and Marcus?”

“Look,” Aiden said, his hands rising into the air. “Get mad at me. Hit me. It doesn’t change anything.”

I moved toward him, to push him but not actually hit him. “You can’t—”

Aiden caught both my wrists and hauled me into his lap, switching my wrists to one hand. He sighed. “I didn’t mean for you to actuallyhit me.”

Too stunned to respond, I just stared at him. Our heads were only inches apart. My legs tangled with his, and then he reached up with his free hand, smoothing the mess of hair back from my face. My breath caught as my heart sped up. Our gazes locked and his eyes turned to quicksilver.

He cupped the nape of my neck. I heard his sharp intake of breath. Then he let go of my wrists and grasped my hips. Before I could blink, I was on my back, and Aiden hovered over me. Using one arm to support himself, he lowered his head and brushed his lips over my swollen cheek.

“How do we always end up like this?” he asked, voice rough as his gaze traveled away from my face and down my body.

“I didn’t do this.” Slowly, I lifted my hands and placed them against his chest. His heart jumped under my palm.

“No. This was all me.” The lower half of his body shifted down. Our legs were flush. His eyes searched mine. “It gets harder every time.”

My brows rose and I bit back a giggle. “What does?”

Aiden grinned and his eyes lightened. “Stopping before it’s too late.”

In a second, everything—the rift that had come between us the day I’d given him that stupid pick, what I’d seen in the Catskills, the mess we were in, and even Seth—everything vanished. The words came out of me in a rush. “Don’t stop.”

CHAPTER 15

AIDEN’S EYES SEEMED TO GLOW FROM WITHIN AS HE stared down at me. Like in the library, I knew he wanted to kiss me. His resolve was cracking and the hand against my cheek trembled.

I slid my hands down his taut stomach, stopping above the band of his pants. More than anything I wanted to lose myself in him, to forget about everything. I wanted him to lose himself in me.

He sucked in air, lips parted. “It probably would be a good idea if Leon or someone else was watching you during the night.”

“Probably.”

His lips tipped into a crooked smile as his hand drifted away from my cheek, down my neck and under the collar of my sweater. I jumped a little when his hand skimmed over my shoulder. “People say hindsight is always twenty-twenty,” he said.

I didn’t care about people’s eyesight. All I cared about was his hand on my skin, pushing the sweater down my arm. “When… when does the next babysitter arrive?”

“Not until morning.”

Butterflies went crazy in my stomach. Morning was several hours away. A lot of things could go down in those hours. “Oh.”

Aiden didn’t respond. Instead, his fingers skimmed over the tags on my arm and then he closed his eyes. A shudder rolled through his entire body, shaking me to my core. Then his head dipped and dark waves of hair fell forward, but not quick enough to shield the hunger in his stare.

I tensed, my chest tightening. His breath was warm and tantalizing on my lips, and then they brushed across mine so softly. That simple act stole my breath, my heart. But even as he pulled away, I realized that he couldn’t steal something he already had.

Aiden rolled onto his side, pulling me along with him. He eased one arm under me, cradling me to his chest so tightly I could feel his heart thundering. There was something under his shirt that pressed against my cheek. I realized it was his necklace.

“Aiden?”

He lowered his chin to the top of my head and drew in a deep breath. “Go to sleep, Alex.”

My eyes snapped open. I tried to lift my head, but I couldn’t move an inch. “I don’t think I can sleep now.”

“Well, you better try.”

I tried to wiggle free, but he moved his leg, clamping one of mine between his. My fingers curled into his thermal. “ Aiden”

“Alex.”

Frustrated, I pushed on his chest. Aiden’s laugh rumbled through me, and even though I wanted to smack him, I started to smile. “Why? Why did you kiss me? I mean, you did just kiss me, right?”

“Yes. No. Sort of.” Aiden sighed. “I wanted to.”

My smile started to turn giddy. It was like there was a part of me that had no perception of the outside world or all the consequences—the part that was completely controlled by my heart. “Okay. Then why did you stop?”

“Can we talk about anything other than that? Please?”

“Why?”

His hand moved up my back, delving into my hair and sending shivers over my skin. “Because I asked you nicely?”

Being this close to him wasn’t helping. Every time I breathed, it was full of his aftershave and the scent of sea salt. If I moved, it only brought us closer. There was no way in hell I was sleeping any time soon. “This is so wrong.”

“That’s the truest thing you’ve said this evening.”

I rolled my eyes. “And this is completely your fault.”

“Not going to argue with that.” Aiden shifted onto his back, and I ended up pinned to his side. I tried to sit up, but he locked his arms together. My head ended up on his shoulder with my arm trapped against his stomach. “Tell me something,” he said after I stopped struggling.

“I don’t think you want me to tell you something right now.”

“True.” He laughed. “Where do you want to be assigned when you graduate?”

“What?” I frowned. Aiden repeated the question. “Yeah, I heard you, but that’s such a random question.”

“So? Answer it.”

Giving up on trying to get free and jump him, I decided to make the best of this weird situation and snuggled closer. I’d probably regret it later, when he came to his senses and pushed me away. Aiden’s arms tightened in response. “I don’t know.”

“You haven’t thought about it?”

“Not really. When I first returned to the Covenant, I didn’t even think I was going to be allowed back in and then I learned about the whole Apollyon thing.” I paused, because I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t really given it much thought. “I guess I just stopped thinking it would even be an option.”

Aiden unlocked his hands and began to trace an idle circle over my upper arm. It was ridiculously soothing. “It’s still an option, Alex. Awakening doesn’t mean your life is over. Where would you go?”

Wishing we’d had the foresight to turn off the light before our impromptu cuddle-fest, I closed my eyes. “I don’t know. I guess I’d pick some place I’d never been, like New Orleans.”

“You’ve never been there?” Surprise colored his voice.

“No. Have you?”

“I’ve been there a couple of times.”

“During Mardi Gras?”

Aiden picked up my hand that was on his stomach, threading his fingers through mine. My chest fluttered. “Once or twice,” he answered.

I smiled, picturing Aiden carrying beads. “Yeah, so maybe some place like that.”

“Or Ireland?”

“You remember the weirdest things I say.”

His fingers closed over mine. “I remember everything you say.”

Warmth stole through me and I savored it. He’d said the same thing the day at the zoo, but somehow I’d forgotten that in the mess of everything that had happened after that. “That’s kind of embarrassing. I say a lot of stupid things.”

Aiden laughed. “You do say some pretty weird things.”

I couldn’t argue with that. We lay there together in a companionable silence for a little while. I listened to the even sounds ofhis breathing. “Aiden?”

He tilted his head toward me. “Yeah?”

I finally put voice to something that had been nagging me for a while. “What… what if I don’t want to be a Sentinel anymore?”

Aiden didn’t answer immediately. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not that I don’t see the purpose behind being a Sentinel and I still have that need, but sometimes I feel like being a Sentinel is agreeing with the way things are.” I took a deep breath. Saying this aloud was damn near close to heresy. “It’s like being a Sentinel means I’m okay with how half-bloods are treated and I’m… I’m not okay with that.”

“Neither am I,” he said softly.

“I feel… terrible for even thinking this, but I just don’t know.” I squeezed my eyes shut, partially ashamed. “But after I saw those dead servants in the Catskills, I just can’t be a part of this.”

There was a pause. “I see what you’re saying.”

“There’s a but, isn’t there?”

“No. There’s not.” Aiden squeezed my hand. “I know becoming the Apollyon isn’t something you want, but you will be in the position to change things, Alex. There are pures who will listen to you. And there are some who want things to change. If this is something you feel strongly about, then you should do what you can.”

“It doesn’t mean I’d be shirking my duties as a Sentinel?” My voice sounded tiny. “Because the world needs Sentinels and Guards, and the daimons—they kill indiscriminately. I can’t just—”

“You can do what you want.” Sincerity rang in his tone, and I wanted to believe him, but that wasn’t the case. Even as the Apollyon, I was still a half-blood and I couldn’t do what I wanted. “And it’s not shirking your duty,” he said. “Changing the lives of hundreds of half-bloods will do more than hunting daimons.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

A little bit of the pressure eased and I yawned. “What if someone sees us?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He brushed my hair back over my shoulder. “Marcus knows I’m here.”

I doubted that Marcus knew Aiden was in my bed. Maybe all of this was a dream, I decided. But my lips still tingled from the brief kiss. I wanted to ask him why he was here, like this. It didn’t make sense, but I didn’t want to kill the warmth between us with questions rooted in logic. Sometimes logic was just overrated.

Slowly, I pried my eyes opened and blinked. The dusky rays of early morning sunlight filtered through the blinds. Little dots of dust floated in the stream of light. A heavy arm lay over my stomach and a leg was thrown over mine, as if he’d wanted to make sure I couldn’t escape while he slept.

Not that a god could make me move from this bed or his arms.

I delighted in the feel of him pressed against my side, the way his breath stirred the hair at my temple. Last night hadn’t been a weird dream. Or if it had been, I wasn’t sure I wanted to wake up. Maybe he hadn’t been afraid of me running off when he slept. Perhaps he’d hungered for my closeness the way I sought his.

My heart rate picked up even though I hadn’t moved. Lying here, staring at the tiny particles of dust, I wondered how many times I’d dreamt of falling asleep and waking up in Aiden’s arms. A hundred or more? Definitely more. My throat tightened. It didn’t seem right that I’d be teased like this, given a taste of what a future with Aiden could be like, something I could never have.

An ache filled my chest. Being in his arms like this hurt, but there wasn’t an ounce of regret. In the silence of the early morning, I admitted that there was no getting over Aiden. No matter what happened from here on out, my heart would remain his. He could settle down with a pure and I could go leave this island forever and it wouldn’t matter. Against all odds and common sense, Aiden had slipped under my skin, wrapped himself around my heart and embedded himself into my bones. He was a part of me and…

All of me—my heart and my soul—would always belong to him.

And I was foolish to believe otherwise, to even entertain a different scenario. I thought of Seth then and that ache in my chest spread, turned inward and burned like a daimon tag. Whatever I had going on with Seth wasn’t fair to him. If he truly cared for me, he expected to have some kind of hold on my heart and feelings.

Careful not to disturb Aiden, I reached down to the hand that rested on my hip and spread my hand over his. I’d remember this morning forever, no matter how short or long forever turned out to be.

“Alex?” Sleep roughened Aiden’s voice.

“Hey.” My smile was watery.

Aiden stirred beside me, lifting up on one arm. He didn’t speak as he turned his hand over and clasped mine. His silvery gaze moved over my face and he smiled at me, but it never reached his eyes. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “I promise you.”

I hoped so. Telly would’ve left by now, without me. I bet he was ticked. There was no way of knowing what he’d do now. And if anything happened to any of them, it was on my head. I rolled onto my side, but the position was a little uncomfortable since Aiden still held onto my hand.

“You hate this—this not doing anything when you feel responsible for what’s happened.”

I sighed. “I amresponsible for this.”

“Alex, you did it to save your life. This isn’t your fault,” he said. “You understand that, right?”

“Do you know if Telly has left?” I asked instead of answering.

“I don’t know, but I assume so. Before I came here last night, Linard had said he hadn’t left the main island since he was at the Covenant.”

“You guys have been watching him, too?”

“We needed to make sure he wasn’t up to anything. The Guards who serve Lucian who remained behind have been an asset. Telly has been watched so closely I know he had steamed lobster for dinner last night.”

I frowned. Last night I’d had a cold-cut sub. “You all should start your own spy business.”

Aiden chuckled. “Maybe in a different life, and if I got cool gadgets out of it.”

I cracked a smile. “The 007 type of gadgets?”

“He has this BMW R1200 C motorcycle in Tomorrow Never Dies” he said, sounding wistful. “Man, that bike was sweet.”

“Never seen it—the movie.”

“What? That’s sad. We’ll have to fix that.”

I rolled over. The smile Aiden wore now reached his eyes, turning them a soft heather gray. “I have no desire to watch a James Bond movie.”

His eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Nope. Those movies sound boring to me. So do Clint Eastwood movies. Yawn.”

“I don’t think we can be friends any longer.”

I laughed and his smile spread. Those dimples appeared, and oh man, it’d been so long since I’d seen them. It felt like forever. “You don’t smile enough.”

Aiden arched a brow. “You don’t laugh enough.”

There hadn’t been much to laugh about recently, but I didn’t want to focus on that stuff. Aiden would leave soon and all of this was like a fantasy. One I wasn’t ready to let go of just yet. We stayed like that for a little while, talking and holding hands. When the time did come to face reality, Aiden climbed out of the bed and went into the bathroom. I lay there with a goofy grin on my face.

This morning had been full of opposites: sadness and happiness, desperation and hope. All of those varying emotions should’ve left me exhausted, but I felt ready to go… running or something.

And I never felt ready to go running.

A knock at the door drew me from my thoughts.

“That’s probably Leon,” Aiden said from behind the bathroom door. The rest of what he said was drowned out by a rush of water in the sink.

Groaning, I got out of bed and pulled my sweater around me. The clock in the living room said it was only thirty minutes past seven. I rolled my eyes. Second day of winter break and I was out of bed before eight in the morning. There was something cosmically wrong with that.

“Coming!” I yelled when he knocked again. I opened the door. “Good morning, sunshine.”

It was Linard who stood in the hall, his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes drifted over my head, scanning the room. “Where’s Aiden?”

“In the bathroom.” I stepped aside, letting him in. “Did Telly leave?”

“Yes. He left just at dawn.” Linard turned to me, smiling. “He waited, like he offered, but you did not come.”

“I bet he was pissed.”

“No. I think he was more… disappointed than anything.”

“Too bad. So sad.” I hoped Aiden hurried up, because I really needed to brush my teeth.

“Yes,” Linard said. “It is too bad. Things could’ve ended easily.”

“Yeah…” I frowned. “Wait. Wh—”

Linard moved fast, like all Guards were trained to. There was a brief second when I recognized that I’d been in this position before, except that time there’d been adrenaline pumping through my veins. Then red-hot pain exploded just below my ribs, near the power rune, and all thought fled. It was the kind of pain that was sharp and sudden, stealing your last breath before you even realized you’d taken it.

Stumbling backward, I looked down as I tried to pull air into my lungs and make sense of the nerve-racking pain firing through my body. A black dagger was slammed all the way to the hilt, imbedded deep within my body. In a far corner of my mind, I knew that this blade wasn’t an ordinary dagger. It was dipped in something—most likely Titan blood.

I wanted to ask why, but when my mouth opened, blood bubbled and trickled out.

“Sorry.” Linard yanked the blade free. I slumped over, unable to make a sound. “He gave you a chance to live, at least,” he whispered.

“Hey, I was expecting Leon—” Aiden came to a halt just a few feet from us, and then he slammed into Linard. An inhuman, animalistic sound tore from Aiden as he wrapped an arm around Linard’s throat.

My back hit the wall beside the counter and my legs gave out on me. I slid down as I clutched at my stomach, trying to staunch the flow. Warm, sticky blood gushed between my fingers. There was a yelp and then a sickening crunch that signaled the end of Linard.

Aiden screamed for help as he dropped beside me, knocking my trembling hands out of the way and pressing his own down on the wound. Aiden’s stricken face loomed over mine, his eyes wide with horror. “Alex! Alex, talk to me. Talk to me, dammit!”

I blinked and his face formed again, but it was fuzzy. I tried to say his name, but a hoarse, wet cough racked my body.

“No! No. No.” He looked over his shoulder at the door. Guards had gathered, drawn by the commotion. “Get help! Now! Go!”

My hands spasmed at my sides and then a numbness settled deep in my bones. Nothing hurt really, except my chest, but it ached for a different reason. The way he looked when he turned back to me and his eyes darted to my stomach. He pushed down harder. His gaze was frantic, shocked, and terrified.

I wanted to tell him that I still loved him—that I always had—and I wanted to tell him to make sure Seth didn’t lose it. My mouth moved, but no words came out.

“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.” Aiden forced a smile, eyes glistening. Was he crying? Aiden never cried. “Just hold on. We’re getting help. Just hold on for me. Please, agapi mou. Hold on for me. I promise—”

There was a popping sound, followed by a flash of light, brilliant and blinding. And then there was nothing but darkness and I was falling, spinning, and it was all over.

CHAPTER 16

THE GROUND UNDER MY CHEEK WAS DAMP AND COLD—a musky, wet scent filled the air, one that reminded me of being deep inside a mossy cavern. Come to think of it, shouldn’t I feel cold? This place was dark and dank, the only light being provided by tall torches thrusting out of the ground, but I felt okay. Sitting up, I brushed the hair out of my face as I stood on shaky legs.

“Oh… oh, hell to the no…”

I was on a riverbank, and across from me were hundreds, if not thousands, of people– naked people—shivering as they huddled together. The onyx-colored river separating us rippled and the mass of people surged forward, reaching out and howling.

I shuddered, wanting to cover my ears.

People on my side of the bank milled about, some dressed in Sentinel garb and others in casual clothing. Their conditions varied. The ones waiting by the edge of the river seemed the happiest. Others looked confused, faces pale and their clothing splattered with blood and gore.

Men dressed in leather tunics rode black horses, herding the most unfortunate-looking into groups. I figured they were guards of some sort, and by the way a few of them were watching me, I had the distinct impression that I wasn’t supposed to be here—wherever here was.

Wait. I turned back to the river, trying to ignore the poor… souls… on the other—oh, gods dammit. This was the River Styx, where Charon ferried souls to the Underworld.

I was dead.

No. No. No. I couldn’t be dead. I hadn’t even brushed my teeth, for crying out loud. There was no way. And if I were dead, what would Seth do? He was going to go crazy when he found out—if he hadn’t already figured it out. Our bond diminished with distance, but could he have felt my loss? Maybe I wasn’t dead.

Pulling open my sweater, I looked down and cussed.

The entire front of my tank top was drenched in blood—my blood. Then I remembered everything: the night before and this morning with Aiden that’d seemed so perfect. Aiden—oh gods—he’d begged me to hold on and I’d left.

Anger rushed through me. “I can’t be dead.”

A soft, feminine laugh came from behind me. “Honey, if you’re here, you’re dead. Like the rest of us.”

I turned around, ready to clock someone in the face.

A girl I’d never seen before squealed loudly. “I knew it! You’re dead.”

I refused to believe I was dead. This had to be a bizarre, pain-induced nightmare. And seriously, why was the chick so happy that I was dead? “I’m not dead.”

The girl was probably in her twenties, wearing a pair of expensive-looking jeans and strappy sandals. She clutched something in her hand. I pegged her for a pure-blood, but the open and sympathetic look in her gaze told me I had to be wrong. “How’d you die?” she asked.

I hugged my sweater around me. “I didn’t die.”

Her smile didn’t waver. “I was shopping with my Guards at night. Like these shoes?” She stuck out her foot, angling it so I got a good view of them. “Aren’t they divine?”

“Uh, yeah. The shoes are great.”

She sighed. “I know. I died for them. Literally. See, I decided I wanted to wear them out, even though it was getting late and my Guards were getting nervous. But seriously, why would there be a bunch of daimons on Melrose Avenue?” She rolled her eyes. “They drained me dry and here I am, waiting for Paradise. Anyway, you look a little confused.”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, looking around. This couldn’t be real. I couldn’t be stuck in the Underworld with Buffy. “How come you don’t look like them?”

She followed my gaze and winced. “They haven’t been given this yet.” A shiny gold coin lay in her open palm. “They can’t cross over until they have passage. Once it’s placed on their body, they’ll look all kinds of fresh and new. And they’ll be able to catch the next ride.”

“And what if they don’t get a coin?”

“They wait until they do.”

She meant the souls on the other side of the river. Shuddering, I turned my back to them and realized that I… I didn’t have a coin. “What happens if you don’t have a coin?”

“It’s okay. And some of them just got here.” She placed an arm around my shoulders. “It takes a couple of days in most cases. People like to hold funerals and stuff, which totally sucks for us because we have to wait here for what feels like eternity.” She paused and laughed. “I didn’t even tell you my name. I’m Kari.”

“Alex.”

She frowned.

I rolled my eyes. Even dead people needed an explanation. “It’s short for Alexandria.”

“No. I know your name.” Before I could question how she knew my name, Kari steered me away from a group of angry-looking Guards who were examining my ruined clothing. “It does get kind of boring down here.”

“Why are you being so nice to me? You’re a pure-blood.”

Kari laughed. “We’re all equal down here, honey.”

My mom had said that once. Funny. She had been right. Gods, I didn’t want to believe it.

“And besides, when I was alive… I wasn’t a hater,” she went on, smiling softly. “Maybe it was because I was an oracle.”

Shock forced my mouth to gape. “Wait—you’re the oracle?”

“It runs in my family.”

I leaned closer, inspecting the deep hue of her skin and those dark eyes that suddenly looked way too familiar. “You’re not related to Grandma Piperi, are you?”

Kari laughed throatily. “Piperi is my last name.”

“Holy…”

“Yeah, weird, right?” She shrugged, dropping her arm. “I had the huge purpose in life, but my love for shoes kind of ended it all. Takes the term ‘killer shoes’ to a whole new level, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, totally wigged out. “So, are you the oracle that came into… whatever when Grandma Piperi passed?”

A few moments passed and then she sighed. “Yes, I did… unfortunately. I was never big on Fate and destiny, you see? And visions… well, they suck most of the time.” Kari looked at me, her obsidian eyes narrowing. “You’re supposed to be here.”

“I am?” I squeaked. Aw, man…

She nodded. “You are. This—I’ve seen this. Like I knew I was going to meet you, but I had no idea it would be here. See, oracles don’t know when the passing of their own time will be, which blows.” She laughed again. “Gods, I know what’s going to happen.”

Now that caught my attention. “You do?”

Her smile turned secretive.

My fingers dug into my sweater. “And are you going to tell me?”

Kari fell quiet, and did it matter now that she was making little sense? She was an oracle and I was dead. Wasn’t a thing I could do about anything, right? Shaking my head, I took in the rest of my surroundings. I couldn’t see where the river led to; it flowed to where was nothing but a deep, black hole. To our right there was a small opening, and a strange, bluish glow emanated from whatever was beyond this place.

“Where’s that go?” I asked, pointing at the light.

Kari sighed. “Back up there, but it’s not the same. You’re a shade if you go that way, and that’s even if you can get past the guards.”

“The guys on the horses?”

“Yep. Going down or up, Hades does not like to lose any souls. You should’ve been here when someone tried to make a run for it.” She shivered delicately. “Gross.”

A commotion by the river had us turning around. Kari clapped her hands together. “Sweet gods, finally!” Kari took off toward the ever-increasing throng of people by the river.

“What?” I hurried after her. The guards on the horses were forcing people into lines on both sides of the river. “What’s going on?”

She looked over her shoulder at me, smiling. “It’s Charon. He’s here. It’s Paradise time, baby!”

“But how do you know where you’re going?” I struggled to keep up with her, but when I reached the fringes of the group, I froze. Oh, crap.

“You just know,” Kari said, pushing past those who I assumed had no money for passage. “It was nice meeting you, Alexandria. And I’m about ninety-nine percent sure we’ll meet again.” Then she disappeared into the crowd.

Too busy with the scene unfolding before, I didn’t pay attention to what she said. The boat was larger than they showed in paintings. It was massive, like the size of a yacht, and a lot nicer-looking than the busted old canoe image I was familiar with, painted a bright white and trimmed in gold. At the helm was Charon. Now he looked like I expected.

Charon’s slight form was swallowed by a black cloak that covered his entire body. In one bony hand he held a lantern. His shrouded head turned toward me and even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I knew he saw me.

Within seconds the boat was swarmed and gliding down the River, disappearing through the dark tunnel. I had no idea how long I stood there, but finally I turned away and hurried through the crowd. Everywhere I looked, there were faces. Young and old. Expressions bored or stunned. There were dead people wandering around everywhere and I was alone, utterly alone. I tried to make myself as small as possible, but I bumped a shoulder here, an arm there.

“Excuse me,” an old woman said. A gaudy pink nightgown dwarfed her frail form. “Do you know what happened? I went to sleep and… I woke up here.”

“Uh.” I started backing off. “Sorry. I’m as lost as you.”

She looked perplexed. “You went to sleep, too?”

“No.” I sighed, twisting away. “I was stabbed to death.”

Once those words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back, because they made everything real.

I stopped outside the throng of people and stared down at my bare feet. I wanted to smack myself. I really was dead.

Lifting my head, my eyes found the strange blue light. If what Kari said was true, then that was the way out of this… holding area. Then what? I’d be a shade for eternity? But what if I wasn’t really dead?

“You’re dead,” I muttered to myself. But I started toward the blue light. The closer I got to it, the more drawn to it I was. It seemed to offer everything—light, warmth, life.

“Don’t go toward the light!” A voice yelled, followed by laughter—mischievous, beloved laughter. “They lie about the light, you know. Never go toward the light.”

I froze and if my heart still had been beating, which I wasn’t sure about, it would’ve stopped right then and there. As if moving through cement, I turned slowly, I couldn’t believe—didn’t want to believe what I was seeing because if this wasn’t real…

He stood only a few feet away, wearing a white linen shirt and pants. His shoulder-length, blond hair was tucked back behind his ears and he was smiling—actually smiling. And those eyes, the color of the summer sky, were brilliant and alive. Not like the last time I’d seen him.

“Alex?” Caleb said. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

All my muscles sprang into action at once. I took off toward him and jumped.

Laughing, Caleb caught me around the waist and swung me around. It was like a dam bursting open. I turned into a fat, bawling baby in under a second. My whole body shook; I couldn’t help it. It was Caleb– myCaleb, mybest friend. Caleb.