Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger 2)

Their faces were inches apart, his thigh pressing against hers, but she couldn’t see him and that...that killed Sam. As ticked off as I was at the spirit, I could see raw pain as he stared at her.

“She felt me, didn’t she?” The pinch eased from Sam’s features. “Wow. She felt me.”

I couldn’t answer him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Stacey’s frown smoothed out as she rubbed her hands over her arms. “Just... I don’t know. I’m sorry? You were saying something about this being random?”

“It’s okay.” I forced an easy smile I hoped didn’t come off as weird as it felt. I started to speak...and felt warmth flare in my chest.

Zayne.

He was nearby. Dammit. If I felt him, then he was feeling me and probably wondering what in the world I was doing out in the city. Despite the way things were between us right now, I so planned on telling him about this development. I just hoped he didn’t freak out.

“Trinity?” Stacey’s brows lifted when I focused on her.

I took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you. It’s going to sound really out there, and you’re probably not going to believe me.”

A half smile appeared. “Okay.”

“I...” This was always the most awkward part. “I see...spirits.”

Stacey’s mouth opened, but she said nothing, which caused Sam to grin. “That’s her she-doesn’t-know-how-to-respond face. I know that face pretty well.”

“Yeah, I figured that,” I muttered, and Stacey’s nose wrinkled. “I know this sounds completely bizarre, but there’s someone here who wants to talk to you. He’s apparently been hanging around, trying to get your attention.”

She looked at me and then around like she was waiting for someone to intervene, which was a common reaction and also meant it was time to bite the bullet.

“It’s...it’s Sam,” I told her. “And he wants to talk to you.”

Blood drained so rapidly from her face I was afraid she might faint. All she did was stare at me.

“You...you know a Sam, right?” I asked, startled when I felt the pulse in my chest intensify.

“Yeah. I knew a Sam. Did Zayne tell you about him?”

“No, he didn’t.” I glanced at the spirit. “He’s actually sitting right next to you.”

Her head swung to her left so quickly I wondered if she pulled a muscle.

“I’m right here,” Sam said, and I repeated what he said.

Stacey didn’t respond. She stared at where Sam sat for so long I started to really worry she’d passed out sitting up with her eyes open.

Was that even possible?

Adding it to my list of things to google later.

Stacey’s cheeks flushed a mottled red, and my stomach sank. Her gaze lifted to me. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Tell her it’s not a joke,” Sam said needlessly.

“It’s not a joke. I know it may seem like that, but Sam is here. He’s actually been around for a while,” I repeated. “And he wants me to tell you something. It seems to be really important—”

“Good God.” Her lower jaw moved as she leaned against the table, toward me. “What is wrong with you that you would do something like this? Is it because of Zayne?”

“What?” I jerked. ‘This has nothing to do with him—”

“Because we had a thing once? And you’re mad about it?”

“Oh my God, no. Seriously. Nothing is wrong with me. I swear. You can ask Zayne. Or even Layla. They know I can do this. I’m not making this up.” Feeling the heat in my face increase, I turned to Sam. “I think it’s time for you to tell me your message.”

“I know there’s a lot of weird stuff out there in the world that I don’t know a lot about, but I’m not stupid. You need to leave right now,” Stacey said, her voice low. “Like right now.”

Sam cursed. “Tell her that she can’t go back to that school.”

Confusion thundered through me. “What kind of message is that?”

“Are you pretending to talk to him?” Her voice rose as she placed her hands on the table. I didn’t need to look around to know people were probably starting to stare. “Are you freaking serious right now?”

“Yes.” My attention shifted to her. “Sam is here, and I have no idea why he says you can’t go back to school, but that’s what he’s saying.”

Stacey laughed, made it sound coarse and twisted. “Do you really think I’m going to believe you? If it was, why has no one mentioned your little talent?”

“Because it’s not really any of your business,” I snapped.

“Excuse me?” Her eyes widened.

“Look, I’m not making this up. He—” I sucked in a sharp breath as the warmth in my chest flared intensely.

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no.

No way.

“Zayne!” Stacey called out, shooting to her feet. “You need to come get your girl.”

My stomach dropped to my toes. I took a breath, but it got stuck in the rising disbelief and confusion.

Sam was saying something, but I couldn’t hear him over the pounding of my heart. Stacey was staring behind me, her brown eyes wide, and she was saying something, too, but none of her words were making sense.

My gaze shifted to the table—the table that wasn’t meant for only one person—and I thought about what Sam had said, referring to them instead of her. My breath felt funny in my chest as things began to click into place. Zayne hadn’t told me what he was doing today. Just that he had stuff to do.

Just like he’d had stuff to do the last time he’d made plans and, other than meeting with the apartment manager, he hadn’t told me what they were.

Slowly, I turned around.

In the mess of blurred faces and bodies, I saw him in the light blue shirt he’d left the apartment in, parting the crowd like some kind of hot Moses.

I took a step back, looking around this cute little ice cream shop, and I realized I knew this place. This was the ice cream parlor his father used to take him to, a tradition Zayne had kept with Layla as he grew older. This place was important to Zayne.

And he’d never brought me here.

This place was important to him, and yet he’d never shared it with me. But he’d gotten mad because I’d said a kiss meant more? A kiss could be anything or nothing, but sharing a piece of your past with someone meant a whole lot.

Even though a rational part of my mind recognized he didn’t have to take me anywhere nor did he have to tell me squat, the slicing pain in my chest felt all too real. I felt...betrayed. A burn built in the back of my throat and crawled up, stinging my eyes.

The urge to cut and run hit me hard and my muscles tensed to do just that. I wanted space—I needed distance to get control of what I was feeling as I watched Zayne’s steps slow. The look of surprise was hard to miss, and it was as if he’d felt me and couldn’t believe I was here.

I was intruding.

Heat swept across my cheeks as my stomach churned. Oh, man, what exactly was I intruding on? Zayne had claimed he and Stacey were just friends, and friends met up for ice cream all the time, but friends didn’t hide that.

My head was shorting out like there was a loose wire somewhere between my synapses. Under a coarse coating of embarrassment was...disappointment.

Not jealousy.

Not envy.

Disappointment.

Zayne inhaled, and something flickered over his face. “What are you doing here?”

My emotions were too all over the place to pick up anything from the bond, but the way he’d spoken the words told me everything I needed to know. He wasn’t happy to see me here.

“She just showed up, and I thought she was with you, but she said—” Her voice, thick and coarse, drew my gaze. “She said Sam is here.”

Her words jolted me out of the spiral of emotion.

“Sam?” Zayne shifted so he was in my line of vision. “What’s going on, Trinity?”

“I am here,” the spirit in question spoke up from where he still sat beside Stacey. “Tell them I’m here.”

My heart was thrumming and my muscles were still tensed to run, but I held myself still. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, I probably should’ve demanded more answers from Sam before I’d agreed to help, but I was just doing what I was meant to do. It wasn’t my fault that it had led me to Zayne’s little rendezvous.

“Trinity,” Sam pleaded, and I looked at him. The golden shimmer around him was fading. “I don’t have much more time. I can feel it. I’m being pulled back.”

Get it together.

This is your duty.

I shoved everything I was feeling aside. My face was still burning, as were my throat and eyes, but I ignored all of that. I had a job. I had a duty. I got it together.

“Sam is here.” I hated how hoarse my voice sounded. “I saw him at the apartment once before,” I continued, not looking at Zayne or Stacey. “But he disappeared before he could tell me who he was. He followed Stacey when she came with Roth and Layla, but I didn’t realize he was with her then.”

“I did.” Sam nodded.

“He just confirmed that,” I said.

Stacey looked like she was close to fainting or having a complete breakdown as she stared up at us. “Zayne...?”

“Is it true?” Zayne asked, touching my arm. “Is Sam really here?”

Stunned he’d question me, I jerked my arm away as a new wave of hurt pulsed through me. “Why would I lie about that, Zayne?”

He blinked. “You wouldn’t.”

“No shit,” I spat, hurt giving way to anger. I wanted to pick up Stacey’s ice cream and toss it in his face. Instead, I gestured at the booth. “Sit down.”

Zayne hesitated like he wasn’t going to listen, and I turned to him, widening my eyes. His lips thinned, but he dropped into the seat and slid across the booth, leaving space open. Sitting next to him was the last thing I wanted, but we were already drawing enough attention to last a lifetime and Sam was running out of time.