Earth and air.
It’s hard to remember a time when those eyes and the man behind them didn’t own a piece of my soul.
Maybe it’s because such a time never existed. Maybe Marcus held a piece of my soul before I ever met him. Before I saved his life. Before he saved mine.
I rest my hand on his chest, trapped between our bodies as he holds me in his embrace. His heart is beating hard and fast, but steady. Sure.
I nod, holding his gaze.
Truthfully, I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to tell him with this nod. All I know is that what I’m feeling is too big for words.
But I want him to know that I’m here with him. That I would go anywhere with him. And that no matter what happens tonight, I won’t regret a single moment of the time he, Theo, and Ryland were in my life.
“I’m not done, angel,” he murmurs quietly. “We’re not done.”
Then he kisses me.
It’s warm and languid, slow and deep. A promise that matches his words. A promise of more.
The room seems to dim around me, fading away as I lose myself in the perfect feel of Marcus’s lips on mine. I can still taste Theo and Ryland on my tongue, can still smell their lingering, distinctive scents, and it does more to soothe my nerves than any calming words ever could.
We’re together.
That’s how we’ll face this threat.
And that’s how we’ll win.
When our lips separate, Marcus rests his forehead on mine for a moment, then steps back. The rest of the room comes flooding back into my awareness, and I catch sight of Victoria standing in the door to the living room, her arms crossed.
“You done?” she asks, arching a brow.
I don’t even bother blushing. Instead, I just shrug. “For now.”
Theo laughs, and Victoria rolls her eyes. I think Dominic is blushing a little, looking vaguely uncomfortable.
Shit. If he knew I was his sister, he’d probably be red as a tomato.
I shove thoughts of brotherly protectiveness aside and step toward Victoria. “Let’s go.”
She leads the way to the garage, and we all pile into her car. It’s less awkward this time since I don’t have a dress hampering my movements, but it’s still a tight fit.
It’s the only option we have though, and I feel better sticking together. Not that I don’t entirely trust the other two, but… well, I don’t entirely trust them. I’d rather have eyes on them at all times until this is over.
Marcus sits up front again, although he’s not brandishing his gun like he’s thinking of putting a bullet in Victoria’s head this time. That’s progress, I guess.
The cemetery is on Halston’s west side, only a few miles from my old apartment. I’ve walked by the sprawling graveyard once or twice but have never actually entered the grounds.
It’s fully dark by the time we arrive, and Marcus slips out of the car smoothly and walks up to the gate. He uses a pair of bolt cutters to break the chain that holds the two sides of the wrought-iron gate closed as Victoria lets the engine idle quietly. He gives the gate a shove, and it swings open.
With an easy stride, he returns to the car and climbs back into the passenger seat. “All right. Let’s go.”
Grinning fiercely, Victoria rolls through the open gate.
There are a few streetlamps spaced along the winding road that takes us deeper into the cemetery, but they’re dimmer than the streetlights that illuminate the roads outside.
Headstones and statues create formless dark shadows on either side of the narrow path, reminding me eerily of the tall shadowy people in my dreams.
From studying the layout of the place earlier, I know we’re heading west, toward the far side of the cemetery where Genevieve’s gravestone is located. After several minutes, Victoria pulls over to the side of the road, her car bouncing a little over the uneven grass and dirt. She stops and turns the headlights off, plunging us into even deeper darkness.