A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That so?”
Minutes later he tore into his driveway so fast I wasn’t sure his garage door was going to get up in time. Malcolm slammed the door behind him when he got out of the car. He was around to my door faster than I’d ever seen him move when he wasn’t in double time.
I was in his arms and then carried over his shoulder like a duffel bag he needed to bring from the car into the house. “Not a word, Kendall. I don’t want you talking right now.”
I’d been to his house a few times when I’d been training with him. He was taking a straight walk to his bedroom. He kicked open his door before he dropped me on the bed. His mouth was on me half a second after his body covered mine.
I expected mad kissing, and once again he proved me wrong. Malcolm buzzed with anger, and yet his lips were gentle. He raised his eyes to mine. I ran my hands across the back of his neck and through his dark hair. He said something unintelligible. I doubted it was even English. Malcolm’s first language came out when he felt any particularly strong emotion.
I pulled away. “Are you sure you want to be gentle with me? I thought you wanted to fuck me into tomorrow.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I can’t touch you like that.”
“You won’t hurt me. I don’t break. I’m furious with you. You yelled and screamed at me for no good reason; you ruined our special hour at the bar. I’m pissed at you.”
This time when he kissed me, he lost the gentle. I’d never been so relieved. Neither of us were going to get what we needed from this if we didn’t lead with truth. This was a mad-fuck kind of a night.
I bit his lip, and he groaned. Seconds later, his hands were on my hips. He flipped me over until my ass pressed against his hard cock. We were both still dressed, and he was already that hard. He yanked at my pants, pulling them down around my ankles. I moaned. Fuck. Yes, I wanted him.
His hand found my pussy while he slid my panties down my legs. He threw my shirt over my head and away. “You’re wet already. We’ve done nothing to get you this way. Fighting with me makes you hot?”
“Always has.”
He bit my neck, and not gently. I cried out, my body shuddering. “Me too. Hands on the headboard. I don’t want you moving.”
I did as he told me. Behind me, I heard him fiddle with his pants and his shirt. We were both naked. One second we were separate and the next he drove inside of me like a possessed man who had to do as he was told. I rocked against him. When he pushed forward, I pressed back. We both cried out. His cock was hard and throbbing inside of me.
Malcolm bit my shoulder. He was going to leave a mark. I wanted more. Ripples of pain moved through my body followed immediately by pleasure. He held onto me from behind, his fingers ravaging my nipples.
My muscles stretched to accommodate how big he was. “Kendall.”
I closed my eyes. I didn’t think I could answer him right then, and I hoped he didn’t require me to.
“Tell me you’re close.” He begged. But I wasn’t. I shook my head no. I wasn’t. I wanted to be. So. Fucking. Much. But I’d gotten so worked up. I needed more. Every nerve ending in my body was on fire. He pressed a finger, finding my clit even as he pressed his cock deeper inside of me.
My clit swelled under his touch. He pinched it, hard. My head fell back on his shoulder. Yes, now I was close, and he must have felt it. As fast as his thrusts had been, he sped up. The bed groaned under our assault. One long thrust combined with a hard pinch of my clit and I was lost.
I cried out, coming over and over again against him. My vision tilted. Colors passed through my vision, and I couldn’t breathe. And then I could. I cried out his name as he whispered mine. His cock wept inside of me.
I let go of the headboard and would have fallen forward if he hadn’t caught me. He hauled me against him. He was still pressed inside of me, but we were all arms and legs. My body didn’t want to work. His mouth wasn’t done with me. He kissed my face, my neck, my shoulder, my chest. His hands stroked my skin. So gentle.
His mad was over, and so was mine.
“I love you.” He kissed my shoulder. “Did I hurt you?”
“In the best possible way.”
He groaned. “I didn’t want to.”
“We needed this.”
Malcolm smiled at me, a small one that didn’t meet his eyes. “You can’t take any deals from anyone. Not Michael. Not Shadows. No one. Got me?”
“Okay.” I rolled over, snuggling against him. “No deals.”
He kissed my nose. “I love you.”
He’d just said that, and he wasn’t usually so forthcoming with it. “You okay?”
Malcolm shook his head. “Right before we regenerated, so to speak, you said I love you, and I didn’t say it in return.”
I ran my hand through the dark hair on his chest. “We’ve talked about this. You had a plan to say it when we woke together. It didn’t work out that way.”
“I don’t want anything unsaid.”
“Okay.” I leaned up on my elbow. “Fair enough. I love you too. A lot. So much I’m going to ask you not to do this thing on Friday. Fuck. Don’t do it. Okay?”
“They’ve offered us the chance to do what we were sent here to do.”
I closed my eyes. “Now who’s taking deals?”
“This is what they trained me to do.”
He was right. “I know.”
Malcolm kissed my cheek. “I’ve set everything up. The dual is happening at that house we keep having to clear.”
“The one that keeps attracting the ghosts.” He had my full attention, my languid state fleeing as I heard his words. “I heard it with Chase. Why there, do you suppose?”
He shrugged. “Beats me. One place is as good as another. The owners are shadows now. They paid me a visit to confirm since Chase killed the messenger.”
I didn’t want to think of him burning to ash the couple I’d seen in those pictures. Even if they were already dead before he did it. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Ah, yeah.” He rolled onto his side. “I think we’re past the point of not sharing, don’t you? I was in your body. I bit. I’m thinking about how soon I can put my mouth on your pussy. Go ahead and ask. Even if it makes me mad, it’ll turn you on.”
“What did you do to make so much money that you’re sitting on boards?”
“That’s an easy one.” He laughed. “I invented an app. Well, Block and I did.” He rolled over and grabbed his phone out of his discarded pants. “Paranormal Life.” He handed me the phone so I could see the icon. “It lets people register to report or read about out of the ordinary things. I did it thinking it might drudge up some business. People can report things they see or ask for help. Turned out to be this huge money-maker. So Block and I moved on and did more of it. Ghosts. Demons. They all have their own app now. People report; it goes to a private database. There’s a message board, but whatever; that’s just for fun. Then I sell the reports to other brokers and keep the ones I want. We go through thousands of reports a day. They all pay to use the system. People will do just about anything to not be afraid or to be excited if they think they’re part of something bigger than themselves.”
“Look at you. You’re such an entrepreneur.” I shoved him, and he laughed. “I love that you did this. Did you build the app yourself?”
He shook his head. Happiness was written all over his face. It was such a change from the scowl he’d had moments earlier I couldn’t help but grin back at him. Why couldn’t there be more moments like this one? Did we destroy some vast, eternal plan by being together? “No, Block does the coding. I come up with the ideas. We’re partners, fifty-fifty.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Speaking of which …” He rolled over and started fiddling in a drawer.
I groaned and grabbed his arm. “So help me if you do what Chase did and start talking about your will, I’m going to freak.”
He stopped moving. “Why did Chase t
alk to you about his will?”
“He’s leaving his stuff to the kids if he dies.”
Malcolm stared at me in the low light of his room. “Ah, fuck him. That’s what I’m doing.”
“My kids are going to be all kinds of rich. Oh wait, neither one of you is dying.” I elbowed him, and he settled back down. I made my way up against him. “Speaking of my kids, Levi has them all night. Can I stay?”
Malcolm kissed my head. “You’d better.”
I smiled, contentment filling me. “Good.”
“Here’s the thing. I don’t want you to come to the battle. I want you to run away with your children. Hide. We know how. If I don’t die, I’ll find you. I’ll always find you.”
He would. He’d proven it in St. Louis. “No. I might send Levi on the run with the kids. I’m not running too. You have to fight. I have to stay.”
“Damn it, Kendall.”
My phone beeped, and I searched for it in the dark. Chase had texted me.
Thanks for the date. Best ever. You’re still in deep shit for doing that. I couldn’t help my smile.
“You set Chase up?”
I rolled my eyes. “Reading over my shoulder?”
“He’s leaving your kids his money. Maybe I don’t know everything about you and Chase.” He held up his hands. “Don’t elbow me again. You’re going to give me a bruise.”
“Then don’t say stupid things. Yes, I set him up. Kind of a spur-of-the-moment-on-the-street thing.” I was tired, bone-weary really. “Can I sleep on you?’
“Sure.” Malcolm turned off his bedside light and repositioned himself. “Nice to not have to run off in the middle of the night.”
I closed my eyes, his chest a comfy pillow. I knew his heartbeat. It felt like home. Decades of listening to it had taught me the rhythm. If he was at all stressed about anything about to happen, his pulse didn’t indicate it.
He sighed against me. Malcolm used to be a roller. He’d go to sleep one way, me on him, and I’d wake with his body half sprawled over mine or his head on my lap. We’d not made it through a whole night together—other than the evening he’d been drunk. I wasn’t going to count that. Drunk-sleeping tended to be entirely different than sober curling up.
Sleep washed over me, welcoming me to its world away from the stress of the…
My phone blared to life, buzzing an incoming call. I jumped. For a second, I didn’t know where I was. I’d only just fallen asleep, and that always made me the most confused to wake up. I had to—
Malcolm grabbed my phone and handed it to me. “It’s like he has radar. I know. He has your kids. Levi wants to Facetime.” He pulled up the covers until they were at my chin. “There. You’re covered. Take the call.”
I hit yes to the call, and Levi’s face came up. In the background, Dex cried loudly. “Sorry. We have a situation here.”
“What’s wrong?” If my baby needed me, we would double time to him. I hadn’t done it much since my memory came back, but I was sure I could.
“He’s had a vision. I can’t … Here.” He picked up Dex and sat him in front of the phone. “Tell Mommy.”
Tears ran down his beloved face. Dex had gotten used to his visions. They didn’t make him this upset anymore. What had he seen? My heart raced, and Malcolm placed a hand on my shoulder, which put him on camera. We stared at Dex together.
“What’s up, buddy?” I asked gently.
“We can fix it.” Malcolm finished. I really hoped he was right.
“Uncle Malcolm is going to die.”
I stilled, dread pooling in my stomach. Still, Malcolm didn’t seem phased at all. “We’re all going to die eventually. I’m not worried. What did you see?”
“A shadow killed you. It was bad. You never had a chance. It’s awful. But that’s only one version. If Daddy could find the answers, you don’t have to die. He knows things.”
Levi came into view. “Tell me. What do I know?”
“I don’t … It’s hard.” Sometimes the visions were so sophisticated Dex couldn’t make sense of them. It was horrific to ask him to. “It has to do with a box.”
“A box?” Levi raised his eyebrows. “A box?”
“Okay.” Malcolm waved his hand in front of the camera on the phone. “We’ll figure it out. You told us in plenty of time. You did your job so well. Goodnight.”
Dex nodded, the tears trailing off. He even smiled a little bit. “I feel better.”
“Good.” Malcolm and I answered at the same time.
I thought we were going to disconnect the phone when Levi gasped. “Holy shit.”
“What?” I asked trying to cool the heat in my body. If Dex had seen Malcolm’s death, it really was as imminent as I thought it was.
“Is it about the box?” Malcolm interjected. “Because I don’t think we can box them. I’d like to. But where would we ship them?”
I elbowed him, and he winced. Okay, I’d probably elbowed him one too many times. He’d asked me not to. I’d stop. If I could manage to remember. Of course, he’d be dead soon, and then he’d have that bruise until the earth took his body and … I gulped back my sob. Not yet. I wouldn’t cry for his death when he sat next to me, warm and alive.
He wrapped an arm around me, tugging me slightly closer.
“A Faraday Box is sometimes called a Faraday Cage. I was thinking about it earlier, sort of. I was trying to figure out how we could stop Top Hat from getting whatever energy he’s getting that’s making him stronger. Block it somehow. It’s so simple, really. I wouldn’t have even gone there in my head if Dex here hadn’t said box. But, yeah. We’ve got to get him in a cage.”
Malcolm sat forward. “Can we make one?”
“I can.” Levi grinned.
I looked at the sky. I didn’t know who sent Dex his visions, but I was thankful. Maybe there was a chance.
Chapter Fifteen
A long night of discussing what a Faraday Cage was and what Levi needed to make one happen, eventually tapering off sometime around two. I’d conked out on top of Malcolm shortly after. Waking with his arm slung over me and his leg pinning me in place made me grin. He was still a roller. I moved slightly, and he muttered something in my ear before breathing deeply again. His clock said it was only after six. We hadn’t slept long, and I hated to disturb him. But I had to pee.
Using ninja skills I didn’t know I had, I slipped from the bed and made my way into the bathroom. When I came out, Malcolm was still out cold. His house was cold, or at least cooler than how I kept my own. We weren’t meeting Levi and the others until noon. There was nothing in the world I was supposed to be doing for anyone else.
I climbed into bed. Malcolm was immediately on top of me. I stared at him in the early morning light creeping into the room. He wasn’t pretty, had never been. But he was beautiful, and for the next few days he was mine. Tears threatened me. I had to somehow hold it together. He really didn’t need me to be weeping every time I looked at him until the duel.
Closing my eyes, I pressed my face into his chest and let myself breathe in his sandalwood scent. I don’t know how long I laid there like that, listening to his heartbeat and the way his breath came in and out.
His arms tightened around me. “How long have you been awake?”
I opened my lids. “How did you know I was awake?”
“Your heart is beating too fast for you to be asleep.” He kissed the top of my head. “Unless you’re having a nightmare. Or at least that’s how it used to be.”
Malcolm made me smile. “You still roll around like you used to. We still know each other’s sleep habits.”
“I am kind of on top of you like I want to pin you to bed. Does it hurt?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I like it.”
“Good.”
We were both awake. Neither of us spoke, and I didn’t feel the need. I hadn’t had a morning like this in a very long time. The day I had Grayson, my mornings became hurry-up-and-feed-the-baby craziness. These days it was:
get the kids to school, set up Dex and my dad for their homeschooling day, run errands, and work. I didn’t lie around.
“I hate to break the mood.” His voice was low. “But there are things that need to be said.”
He was right, and I knew it. “Are you going to pick a fight with me?”
“No.” His hands rubbed my back. “Which is not to say you won’t end up mad. You so often react in strange and unusual ways I can’t possibly predict.”
I groaned. “Maybe you push me into lunacy.”
“Maybe.”
He went silent again, and I didn’t rush him. He’d talk when he was ready to. Instead of speech, Malcolm kissed my forehead a few times. It was so damn sweet I had to hold off the tears again. I could take pain, handle fear with the best of them. I knew death; I’d lived through it. Only the need to keep my children safe frightened me anymore. Loss had been my constant friend. But sweet? I had no ability to manage it.
Not from Malcolm.
“I’ve been trying to imagine what will happen on Friday if I lose. I’ll be dead, and I’m going to do my best not to stick around to haunt you. But I’ll be dead. I can’t make any promises. I might freak out. Anyway, you’re going to have to move fast. You’ll have to run with the kids, stay off the grid, out of major cities. They’ll get around everyone soon—but my guess is that, since they want power, rural areas with a lot of poverty won’t be very interesting to them. You probably can’t stay with Victoria. Too many of you guys together will draw their attention. Move every six months.”
I put my hand over his mouth to stop him. “Malcolm, if you lose, no one will be safe anywhere. Don’t hang around here wondering; don’t go wherever you’re going worrying about us. If you do this, if you fight and lose, go be happy wherever you land.”
He raised his eyebrows, so I moved my fingers off his lips. “Crazy woman, there won’t be happy until there’s you again.”
“I hope that’s not true. Listen, I know last night we were all about the goodbyes without really saying it. But then Levi thought of the Faraday Cage. I get that you are not in the habit of thinking particularly highly of my ex-husband—”