Chapters (42)
- Title Page
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Acknowledgements
- Also by Kim Harrison
- Copyright
- About the Publisher
- Cover
He sounded irate, and I pulled back, trying to see him and failing. “When have what they said ever changed my mind about someone I liked?” He made a soft mmmm of sound, and my fingers drifted down to his chest. “I meant thank you for understanding that this isn’t forever.”
He gathered me closer, my arms folding between us. “Nothing is forever unless you make it so,” he breathed. “I don’t want to be alone. I need you, Rachel. And for now, you need me. I pray that I’m not parted from you until you don’t need me anymore.”
I went up on an elbow again, looking at him. “What do you mean, until I don’t need you anymore? You think I’m going to throw you away like an old sock?”
Smiling, he pulled me back down. “You’re going to live forever, mistress witch. I want to see you happy while I’m here on earth. Leave it at that.”
Eyes wide open, I settled back against him, shifting my back to him now that I’d let go of him and I could. His arm was warm around me, and we spooned, the line that we’d been connected to washed through us again, a gentle flow to warm us both. It was how I’d woken up, but now, everything was different.
Live forever—Newt had said the same thing, and Al. Were they serious?
Thirty-three
Thirty-three
The cadence of Pierce’s breath shifted, and I woke. Eyes flashing open, I searched the dim confines of the hole. It was silent, a soft glow of natural light showing where the ventilation hole was and that the sun was up. Pierce’s stubble, too, said it was tomorrow. I was still lying beside him, his arm over me protectively and one of my legs atop the blanket. It had gotten warm. Pierce was awake and listening, and when he made a soft sh-h-h-h of sound, adrenaline shocked through me.
“Morning,” he whispered, eyes on the ceiling. “Someone’s in the woods.”
My breath came fast. Stiffening, I stared at the ceiling, remembering my panic last night and trying to relax. “Trent?” I whispered back, and he shook his head, not moving.
“No dogs or horses. I think it’s …”
The hum of dragonfly wings grew from a muffled hesitancy to a full clatter, and Jenks dropped in from the far corner of the ceiling, shedding glittering sparkles to double the light. “Rache! Glad you’re … Tink loves a duck!” he said, wings clattering. “It stinks of sex in here. God, woman. I leave you alone for one night, and you’re humping the ghost.”
I sighed, and Pierce finished sourly, “… it’s a pixy.”
“Jenks, show some class,” I said as Pierce sat up.