Claimed

  Galena looked down at herself, her legs still spread wide, the cool air now kissing the slick wetness on her thighs. Shivering, she sat up, just as she heard water switch on, the unmistakable sound of a shower. She frowned. What had just happened?

  Had she done something wrong?

  A tiny wire of panic crimped inside her, and she put her hand over her stomach. As the water hissed from the other room, she shimmied into her panties and pulled the skirt on again. Her hair disheveled and falling over her shoulders, her body loose, she padded toward the bathroom. The door was open a few inches, and she could see droplets slither down the glass shower door.

  A sense of loss and confusion washed over her. He’d given her the most intense orgasm she’d ever had, and he’d managed to do it without awakening a single black, evil memory. And then he’d walked away to take a shower?

  Oh no. No. Was it because it was terrible? Had it been gross?

  She grimaced, taking a few steps closer, drawn to him, terrified to know the truth but needing it all the same. One more step brought Dec into full view.

  He had one arm braced against the shower wall, his hand fisted, his forehead pressed to his forearm. Water ran over his muscular, naked body, which was as chiseled and gorgeous as Galena would have expected. She looked him over, her breath catching as she realized what was happening.

  His other hand stroked up and down his rigid shaft, which jutted from his body, thick and ruddy. His movements were frantic. The muscles of his back and ass were tense and trembling. And then the side of his fist slammed against the stall. Galena jumped as she heard Dec stifle a groan, pressing his face to his arm. Then he sagged against the wall, his face still hidden, his powerful body slumped.

  Galena backtracked unsteadily, stunned and breathless. She’d asked him to touch her, and he had. Selflessly. Gently. Completely aware of what she needed.

  But he hadn’t asked her to touch him. Instead, he’d taken care of himself. And she suspected she understood why.

  Determination rose up inside her. Once again, the black memories had won, and they hadn’t even needed to be at the forefront of her mind to do it. Instead, they’d descended like a wall between her and Dec, keeping him from asking for the same kind of pleasure he’d given her. He’d felt alone in his arousal, forced to chase a solitary pleasure for fear of reminding her of things she didn’t want to think about. The understanding was both sweet and astoundingly bitter.

  Would she ever be able to find her way to him? Was it even possible?

  She wiped her eyes and took a few deep breaths as the water in the shower switched off. “I promise, Dec,” she whispered. “I’m going to figure this out.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Dec leaned against the wall of the shower, trying to catch his breath. His muscles were just starting to uncoil after the insistent, relentless tension of the last several minutes. He kept his eyes closed as the water streamed down his body, still savoring the taste of Galena on his tongue. Seeing her laid out before him, her legs spread wide and her head thrown back, with her slender fingers clutching at his hair, all while his mouth had been full of her faint sweetness, the irresistible honey tang of her skin . . . he’d almost come right there. Worse, all he’d wanted to do was to unzip his pants and thrust himself into the soft heat of her.

  He’d had to get away from her. She wasn’t ready to touch him, to have him inside her. As painful as it would be to know the details, he wished she would tell him what had actually happened to her. That way it might be easier to avoid triggering her. He’d felt her tense as his fingertips skimmed the soft curls between her legs, and it killed him, knowing some guy might have used his fingers to hurt her. Then she calmed down when he’d only used his mouth. He’d felt like he’d been blindfolded and was groping his way toward her in the dark. Luckily for both of them, it had worked. Better than Dec could have possibly imagined.

  Except that it made him want to do it again. And again and again. The sound of her moans and whimpers, the desperate buck of her hips, the way she opened herself to him, like she was begging for his touch, like she was starving for it . . . it made him want her in every possible way.

  He swung open the shower door and reached for a towel. He shouldn’t have used so much water—he’d probably just burned through fifty gallons of the two hundred fifty in the tank. It would refill with the next rain, but he should have been more careful. He glanced over and felt his cheeks flush when he saw the door partially ajar. In his wild hurry to release his bottled need, he hadn’t been paying attention. He nudged it shut and dried himself off, then put his clothes back on.

  He looked back at the closed door. Fuck. He’d gone down on her, then walked away from her like a total asshole without a word of explanation. Except, what would he have said?

  If I don’t leave this room right now, I’m going to lose control.

  Excuse me, I need to go jack off or else my dick is going to explode.

  There was no polite way to express what had been going on inside his head and body.

  He toweled off his hair and opened the door again. Galena was sitting on the bed looking pale and tousled, and maybe a little shell-shocked. She had gotten dressed again and seemed strangely out of place in her pink blouse and black skirt, which fit every curve of her body in a way that made Dec’s dick twitch, like it was begging for another shot.

  She watched him emerge from the bathroom, her green eyes wide and curious. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Sorry. I just needed to . . .” He cleared his throat. “Do you want to change into something more comfortable? I brought some other clothes for you.”

  She gave him a smile laced with sadness. “Why are you so amazing?”

  He chuckled. “Your standards aren’t very high.”

  She rolled her eyes and stood up as Dec knelt next to his pack and pulled out a pair of sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. As she took them and headed to the bathroom, she ran her fingers through his damp hair, and he closed his eyes and savored her touch.

  By the time she emerged, he was making sandwiches. She laughed when he set one on a plate and slid it in her direction. “Now this is service,” she said.

  “Did you eat while you were locked up?”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t that hungry.”

  “I knew it.” He jabbed his finger at the sandwich. “Eat.”

  They ate in companionable silence. Dec was relieved to see the hunger on her face as she polished off one sandwich, and he quickly made her another, which she finished nearly as quickly. He couldn’t help but smile at the protective pride swelling in his chest; she was allowing him to take care of her.

  After they were finished, she got up and returned to the bed, scooting over to make room for him. He settled himself next to her. “What now?” she asked quietly.

  He sighed. “Now we figure out who actually committed the crimes you’re accused of, and we catch them.”

  “That’s all?”

  “It’s a start.”

  “Any ideas?”

  He turned onto his back and reached for her, pulling her into the shelter of his arms. She melted against him, forcing him to close his eyes and take a few slow breaths, because his cock started to swell at the feel of her body, her warmth. Concentrate. “There may be a regular human framing you, or possibly a Ferry, but my money’s on the Ker who attacked Luciana, and who maybe got to Jian. And I think I know which one it is.”

  “Who?”

  “Luke. You saw him a few nights ago. He knew exactly who you were. Somehow, he knew you’d been made a Ferry. I think he called you specifically to that spot. And I think he purposefully dropped that guy right in the center of the park. I don’t know how he drew the Shades there, but they sense whenever a portal is opened—they can feel the real world when someone steps through.”

  “But if he knew I was a Ferry, wouldn’t he have assumed I’m immortal like you? What could a Shade really do? It can’t kill you, right?”

/>   Dec cradled her head on his shoulder, treasuring the feel of her breath skimming over his throat. “A Shade can’t kill a Ferry, but they could hurt one badly enough so that he couldn’t get back to the real world, especially if they’d gotten his Scope. And wounds don’t heal in the Veil. One of my uncles was lost that way, maimed so badly that he was trapped in the Veil for good.”

  “They just left him there?”

  Dec shook his head. “No, we have a special department at Psychopomps that searches for lost or injured Ferrys in the Veil, but the world is a huge place.”

  “What about the Ker who worked with your uncle last? Wouldn’t it be able to say where he was?”

  “Yes, but we don’t think he was in the Veil to Ferry someone. He was probably using his Scope recreationally.” This was why they were never supposed to use their Scopes apart from their duty to guide dead souls. If they got lost or injured in the Veil, no one would know where they were. “Hopefully, we’ll find him someday and bring him home.” Hopefully, there would be something left of him to find. “I didn’t realize you were so vulnerable in the Veil,” she said in a small voice.

  “It’s not usually so bad.” He decided it was better not to tell her that he’d nearly had his arm ripped off a few weeks ago. “What happened with those Shades was unusual. And that’s what makes me think Luke is in on it. Maybe he was working with Jian, or working with whoever was threatening Jian and framing you.”

  “Whoever framed me has an incredible amount of technical knowledge.” Galena snorted. “But then again, so do most people at Harvard.”

  She was absently stroking her fingers along his ribs as she spoke. He wondered if she even noticed. He could barely think past the sensation. “Is there any way you could figure out who sent the messages, and how they managed to make it look like you were the one who did it?”

  “Maybe, if I could get into the data center that houses Harvard’s messaging servers. They would have archived records from the secure chat system.”

  He nodded, though he had little idea what finding those records would entail. She sounded like she did, so that was good enough for him. “We’ve already broken plenty of rules, so if you can figure out where this place is, I can get you in.” He frowned. “Tracing computer messages isn’t going to get us all the way there, though. We have to find proof that Luke was involved.”

  Galena looked thoughtful. “Maybe Luke tried to intimidate Jian in person? His phone might have a record of contacts between them. Or maybe his wife saw something? The poor woman has had her life turned upside down, though.”

  “So have you. A few questions won’t hurt.”

  She squeezed him, and her leg slipped over the top of his, her thigh resting on his. “Can we wait a few hours? I’m—” She stifled a yawn.

  “Massively sleep-deprived?”

  She nodded, snuggling in under the covers and going quiet for a few minutes. But then—“Dec?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Earlier, right after you . . . um . . .”

  Slowly, he turned, propping himself on his elbow over Galena, who was now on her back. The anxious look in her eyes awakened the ache in his chest. “I guess we should have talked about that.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “You were so considerate. But I feel a little selfish,” she said, her voice breaking.

  “Selfish?” He lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers, his body tightening as she closed her eyes and parted her lips. “Do you have any idea how much I enjoyed that? Tasting you? Feeling you come?” So much that the memory of it was making him hard as a fucking rock. He inched his hips back so she wouldn’t feel it.

  “But I-I didn’t touch you. And I know you had to . . .” Her gaze flicked toward the bathroom as her cheeks turned the most enticing shade of pink. It could only mean one thing. She’d seen him in the shower jacking off like a horny teenager.

  He chuckled as he shook his head. And although it sent a stab of longing through him, he said, “What I need and what I want—that’s not your problem right now. And I’m fine taking care of myself, okay?”

  She stared into his eyes, and he would have paid his entire fortune to read her thoughts. “Okay,” she whispered, though he could have sworn the word was weighed down with sadness.

  He rolled onto his back again and pulled her against him, stroking her hair until her breathing became even and her body relaxed. He lay there, reliving the day, hoping the two of them could figure out a way to clear Galena’s name before this mess caught up with them.

  Dec chuckled quietly. What a way to start a marriage.

  The thought slid through his head so effortlessly that he froze as it hit the front of his mind. A few days ago, she’d been nothing more than an enticing stranger at best, a binding obligation at worst. But now she meant something entirely different to him, and it had happened so fast. He didn’t completely understand it. All he knew was that being with her here, having her in his arms—it made him feel alive.

  She made him feel alive.

  A noise from his porch yanked his attention from her. Creak. His muscles tensed. Slowly, he slid Galena off him, and she settled into his pillow with a sigh, her hair falling across her face. The sun had long since set, and the night sky was lit only by the stars and moon. Dec padded over to the window and looked out.

  Red eyes peered back at him, causing his heart to seize up. Touching the Scope at his throat, an ever-reassuring presence, Dec opened the front door just enough to let himself onto the porch, then closed it quietly, praying he wouldn’t wake Galena.

  Eli was sitting on a chair, looking out at the dark shadow of Mount Thor in the distance. “Nice place.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How is she?”

  “Sleeping at the moment.” Dec sat down in a chair next to Eli’s.

  “How . . .” Eli cleared his throat. “Did it go all right? The . . .”

  “Claiming?” Dec’s gaze ascended the mountain’s west face, the largest vertical drop in the world. He thought maybe he knew what it felt like, now, to fall that far and fast. “It went as well as could be expected.” Technically, that wasn’t a lie. Maybe he should have told Eli the whole truth, but it felt like something between Dec and Galena now, no one else’s fucking business.

  Waves of heat were coming off Eli. It was impossible to tell his mood, but he seemed content to change the subject. “Aislin is putting a lot of pressure on Cacy to tell her where you are.”

  “Cacy doesn’t know this place exists. No one in my family does.”

  “And she asked me not to tell her, because she doesn’t want to know. She wants you guys to be safe.” Eli turned to him. His green eyes, so similar to Galena’s, were shadowed, no longer red. “I’m grateful that you got G out of jail, but it’s caused a complete shitstorm in Boston.”

  Dec shrugged, his fingers tracing the worn wood of his antique Adirondack chair. “I knew it would. But once Galena and I clear her name, I’ll come back and deal with it.”

  Eli sighed. “If Moros asks me to tell him where you are, I won’t be able to refuse him. You know that, right?”

  “Is Moros in town?”

  “Not yet. But Aislin has called him. Hell, he can find you himself, Dec. I don’t even think he’d need my help.”

  “If the Lord of the Kere wants to come here, there’s nothing we can do to stop him.” Dec’s muscles tensed at the thought. He’d fight as hard as he could, but he knew he was no match for Moros.

  “But if he wanted to find you, he’d probably already be here,” Eli said. “Cacy thinks he’s staying out of it, planning to use the chaos as evidence against Aislin when they go to the summit with the Keepers. If it looks like the Ferrys can’t manage things, either, he might be able to make a case that you guys aren’t necessary, or more trouble than you’re worth.”

  Dec’s fists clenched. Moros was playing his own game, just like Aislin. “We’re going to try to make this right as quickly as possible. For the sake of all in
volved.”

  “Good,” Eli said, his eyes turning from green to crimson as Dec watched. “Because I’ve been sent to give you a message. From Aislin. She knew I’d be able to find Galena, so she sent it to me about an hour ago.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and accessed an archived message, then held it up for Dec to see.

  Watching it was like stepping into the Veil. The chill crept across his skin until it enveloped him completely. Aislin stared out from the screen, her eyes icy, her mouth hard.

  “Declan, you have until midnight to return to Boston and turn Galena in. If you refuse, your status will be revoked, and your Scope will be decommissioned. It was the wrong choice to cross me, especially now. Fix this. Immediately.” The screen went dark.

  Dec looked at the time display on Eli’s phone. He had twenty hours until she would make good on that threat. He glanced back at the window, just able to make out Galena’s sleeping form on the bed. He would give anything not to wake her up, to crawl into that bed with her and hold her all night.

  But he couldn’t. Now the clock was ticking. And he didn’t want to think about how vulnerable he and Galena would be when the time ran out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Galena squatted behind the wall that ringed the data center, Dec at her side. He’d awakened her a few hours ago, pulling her from a wonderful dream where she was kissing him, one she’d hoped to make reality. But the grim look on his face had been enough to yank her out of that fantasy. He wouldn’t tell her exactly what was wrong, but he had said they needed to get moving. They’d made a brief stop in Boston’s Chinatown—in a narrow alleyway that smelled like rot and urine, to be precise—where Dec had been able to get a stable-enough signal on his phone to allow her to access the Harvard system and trace where their mail messaging data center was physically located.

  Dec was able to navigate quickly to some places in the Veil, but if he didn’t know his destination well, it was hit or miss. So he’d called up a map and stared at the satellite image of the data center so intently that Galena was surprised the screen didn’t melt under his scrutiny. And then he’d pulled her close and brought them into the Veil again.