Echo (The Soul Seekers 2)

* * *

I wake to the sight of Daire sleeping beside me. Her breath soft and even, her skin fair and gleaming under the slant of light that seeps in from the window. And as much as I long to touch her, fill my fingers with the promise of her—I climb out of bed and leave her to slumber.

I pull on the jeans I’d left on the floor and swipe a clean T-shirt from the laundry basket and yank it over my head. Chasing it with a gray sweater culled from the back of a chair, I look around my place for the first time in days, horrified by the colossal mess that it is.

The last week has been chaotic at best. And because of it, my apartment is trashed. While Daire and I were a little too preoccupied last night for her to really take notice, there’s no doubt she’ll notice now. There’s no place to hide under the harsh glare of daylight.

I hit the kitchen first, determined to deal with the pile of dirty dishes crowding the sink. Not getting very far before there’s a knock at the door and I open it to find Xotichl and Auden loaded down with pink boxes and white bags embossed with the logo of Nana’s bakery, one of the few places in Enchantment that’s not owned and operated by the Richters, which means the bread is pure heaven.

“We bring sustenance.” Xotichl finds her way past me as Auden follows and plunks the bags on the small kitchen table. “But we’re counting on you for the coffee, so please don’t disappoint us. You’re not the only one who had a late night. I’m desperately in need of my morning fix.”

“That’s the one thing I do have.” I return to the sink, working the scrubber side of the sponge over the stubborn film of crud on the bottom of the coffeepot. “Just, uh—give me a second and we’re good to go.”

Xotichl stands in the middle of my living room, head swiveling from side to side, as though she doesn’t know where to sit, even though this is hardly her and Auden’s first visit.

“Something wrong?” I watch as Auden tears off a piece of bread, plops it into his mouth, and shoots me a guilty look, while Xotichl stays rooted in place, nose pitched high, face scrunched in disapproval.

“Dace—this place feels like a mess. Like a serious, chaotic mess.”

“That’s because it is,” Auden says. Looking at me when he adds, “Sorry, bro, but I can’t let you continue like this. Clutter makes for bad energy. You should know that.”

“Funny—I didn’t even notice the clutter ’til you just now mentioned it. How’d you manage to slip that past me?” Daire stands in the doorway, looking adorable in one of my old, red flannel shirts that falls halfway to her knees.

“Lots of things go unnoticed in the night, but surely you notice now?” Xotichl says, unable to find a place to sit until Auden clears a space off the couch and guides her to it.

“Nope. I’m focused solely on breakfast.” Daire veers past me, teasing a finger along my spine as she makes her way to the table where Auden’s arranged a pile of freshly baked rolls, danishes, and fat loaves of oven-warmed bread. “I’m famished.” She bites into a roll, closing her eyes to savor the flavor. Lids fluttering open when she says, “So, how’d you guys know I’d be here?” She wanders into the living room and perches on the arm of the sofa, next to Xotichl.

“Dace stood me up.” Xotichl nods her head in my direction as Auden laughs. “I was going to show him the vortex, but then when he didn’t show and you never returned … well, let’s just say that as far as mysteries go, this one was easy to solve.”

“Sorry,” I mutter, checking on the coffeemaker. “I should’ve called.”

“No worries.” Xotichl shrugs. “It’s not like it’s going anywhere.”

“Though you did miss the excitement.” Auden makes for the table, filching a danish this time. “Cade showed.”

Daire and I exchange a look.

A look Auden catches when he says, “Yeah, I know all about it. Demons—vortexes—multiple worlds—the Richters are evil beasts out to dominate Enchantment…” His cheeks fill as he takes another bite of pastry. Covering his mouth as he adds, “I’m all up to speed.”

“So, what happened?” I reach into the cupboard, searching for mugs that aren’t chipped. But not finding any, I’m forced to settle on four that bear the least amount of damage and wear.

“Yeah, and is Lita okay?” Daire crosses her legs, distracting me with a quick glimpse of thigh I try hard not to stare at.

“Lita’s fine,” Xotichl says. “In fact, she’s more than fine. I think she spent over an hour working the mistletoe line, giving away free, one-time-only Christmas kisses just to annoy him.”

“And did it?” Daire’s face lights up at the thought.

“Not in the way that she hoped,” Xotichl says. “Cade’s beyond jealousy. Though I do think it bugged him that he couldn’t control her in the way that he used to. He’s pretty much a control freak.”

“So—that’s it? Cade showed up, Lita kissed a bunch of guys she’s known all her life, and the party ended normally?” I distribute mugs filled with coffee while apologizing for the clumpy sugar and lack of milk.

“Pretty much,” Auden says, sitting beside Xotichl and clasping her hand in his. “Though he asked about you—about both of you.”

“And?” Daire peers at him from over the rim of her mug.

“And—nothing,” Xotichl says. “I blew him off. Said I hadn’t seen you.”

“But it was weird,” Auden says. “He actually looked pretty happy about that.”