A wraparound porch hugs the two-story cabin, and the exterior is built to look like it was made from logs and mud alone.
More like slave labor and cold hard cash, but whatev.
The interior is more of the same: rustic-meets-rich-folk in the form of an antler chandelier, bearskin rug, dark leather sofas, and plaid chenille throws. Walking through the place, I spy six bedrooms and enough washrooms to bathe Snow White’s seven dirty-ass dwarves.
After my exploration, I sink down onto a couch and watch as Aspen lights a fire. My mind begins ticking away, thinking it’s now or never. I’ve enjoyed losing myself in this girl, but I know where my heart lies, and after seeing how many times Charlie called, I know I want nothing more than to get home to her. I decide my best chance is to be aggressive with Aspen. Maybe bring up Sahara. Ask what kind of example she thinks her little sister deserves.
I’m all set to start my rant when there’s a knock at the door. Aspen jerks like a startled fawn then races across the room. Remembering who I am, and that a collector is still out there somewhere, I jump to my feet. “Who is it?” I ask her.
Aspen freezes right before she reaches the door, like she’s thought of something. “I don’t know.”
She turns and stares at me, her face giving nothing away. I move quickly and stand in front of her, blocking her body with mine. “Get back,” I hiss. Then I turn the handle, pull the door open—
And see Charlie Cooper smiling back at me.
Aspen slaps me on the back, “God, you should see your face! What the hell did you think was out there?”
I hear her words, but I can’t think of anything else besides Charlie. She stands perfectly still, her long, slender arms hanging loose by her sides. “Dante,” she breathes.
I don’t hesitate a moment longer. Scooping her into my arms, I pull her against me. She’s so close, but it isn’t enough. To touch her is beyond words. Even when we were apart, I carried her soul inside me. But now I have her body, too. And the sensation is enough to make me dizzy with pleasure.
I set her down and run my hands over her cheeks, her neck. I stare at her face and memorize it. We’ve only been apart for four days, but already I’d forgotten just how amazing she is. “My Charlie,” I whisper. Forgetting every strained moment between us, and all the reckless things she’s done, I lean down to press my lips to hers.
But before I can kiss her, Annabelle crashes onto the doorstep, an oversized Nike bag slamming into Charlie and me. “You didn’t think I’d miss out on the fun, did you?”
Charlie laughs and wraps her arm around my waist, looking now at Aspen. “I can’t thank you enough,” she says, but I don’t miss the way she eyes Aspen, sizing her up.
I can barely grasp the fact that Charlie is here, much less what she’s saying. Following her gaze to Aspen, I say, “You did this?”
Aspen smiles at me but keeps a wary eye on Charlie like she might regret her decision. “I asked you if you could have anything…” She shrugs like it’s nothing. “Though I don’t know how you two do long distance. Blows.”
I grin at Aspen, and before I do anything else, I seal her soul so damn hard, I almost feel drowsy. She deserves it, too. Because Aspen doesn’t like being alone, and she probably realizes that if Charlie’s here, my attention will switch from her to my girlfriend. But she did it, anyway. She flew Charlie and her best friend up here because she knew it’d make me happy.
“So what’s going on?” I say to everyone, so happy I’m delirious. “Winter break at the cabin, the four of us?”
“Well…” Charlie responds. The way she says that one word makes my muscles tighten. Eyeing the horn lying against her chest, I realize it wasn’t my own charm I felt earlier, but hers. Because she was here. Because she is here.
“Just be chill, okay, D-Town?” Annabelle glares at me like she’s ready to wrestle if I argue with whatever she’s talking about.
But I don’t know what she’s talking about.
Until I see them.
Behind Annabelle, I notice two guys strutting toward the cabin. One is wearing a blue Cubs hat, and the other is throwing me a sly smile, a smile I’m about to break off his damn face. My hands close into fists, and as Charlie tugs on my arm, I head out to meet them.
“There’s more,” Charlie pleads. “I tried calling you.”
She keeps tugging on me, but it’s like a butterfly trying to block a bull. I swore I’d try to trust Charlie, but this Salem guy has been playing with her life, influencing her to play dangerous games. And now it’s time to pay the fucking piper.
“Wait, listen to me,” Charlie says. “Listen to me. You’re not going to believe—”
But she doesn’t finish, because someone new steps directly into my view.
Charlie stops talking.
My heart stops beating.
The guy looks over my shoulder at Aspen and grins. “Damn, that girl is hot,” he says.
Blue says.
14
Blue Isn’t Blue Anymore
I stand frozen as Salem and Easton pass by to go inside. Blue continues staring at me, a huge smile plastered on his face.
“How is this…?” I say, trailing off. “I thought you were…”
“Duh-duh-duh-dead?” Blue laughs, his eyes shining with pleasure. “Is that the word you were looking for? You thought I was dead?”
I glance behind me, ensuring no one heard him admit he’s a walking corpse.
“Don’t look so surprised.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets and leans back on his heels, looking up at something. “You’re not the only special person who’s walked the earth.”
And then the answer comes to me. Dropping down to the ground, I rip the leg of his jeans up. “Ha!” I thump his cuff, somewhat embarrassed I hadn’t sensed it before now. “Dead man walking, am I right?” Leaping to my feet, I throw my arms around Blue. I can’t help it. I thought the dude died out there, and now he’s here, sucking air like a politician. “Wait.” I pull away and look him in the eye. “You are a liberator, correct?”
“Of course!” Blue’s chest swells with pride, and I notice it isn’t as small as it used to be. Just looking at him, my body buzzes. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that this is real.
Turning to Charlie, I notice she’s trying to cover her smile. So is Annabelle. But Salem, Easton, and Aspen just look lost, which is good. I don’t need my assignment or the twin dipshits knowing what’s going on.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Charlie, reaching in to squeeze her hand. She nods before I pull the door shut behind me and drag Blue off the porch. Though the snow sparkles in the morning sun and my nose fills with the smell of fir trees, I can’t seem to relax. Because Blue, who I used to think was six feet under, is standing right in front of me. And that can’t be good.
“Why did Big Guy make you into a liberator?” I ask. I’ve got a string of questions for this dude, and I’m not sure why this is the first.
“More manpower,” he responds with an air of professionalism. “I guess.”
“More manpower for what?”
Blue shrugs. “Beats me.”
Thing is, it doesn’t look like the question beats him. It looks like he might know exactly why. But I’ve got way too many other questions to argue. “How long have you been a liberator?”
He grins. “A few days after I croaked, but I didn’t get assigned until about a week ago.”
“Assigned?”
“Yeah. I was sent to watch her once you were shipped off to Denver.” Blue looks back at the cabin. He’s talking about Charlie. The thing I don’t understand is why he’s got that faraway expression on his face. Then I remember how hot the guy was for her when he was alive. Guess even after death, some things don’t change—one of those things being my ability to kick his ass if he hits on her. Though judging from the size of him, it might not be as easy.
“You look different,” I say. And now that I’ve vocalized the thought, I realize exactly how
much has changed about Blue. He’s got muscle, facial hair, and his curly hair looks less wet dog and more rock star. “You get a liberator makeover special?” I laugh because I’m joking, but his face reddens like I’ve hit the money. “No. Seriously? You asked to look this way?” I’d heard of collectors making special requests of Lucille before they got cuffed, but always figured it was a myth. Now I’m not so sure it was a myth, or that it applied only to collectors.
Blue steps closer. “Seems to me Charlie may have another option when it comes to boyfriends.”
My eyebrows furrow because I know this guy didn’t just challenge my ass.
The corner of Blue’s mouth jerks up like he’s got a bomb he’s about to drop. “Can you hear me now, liberator?”
Those words ring through my head like a gunshot. “You! You were the one who left that message on my mirror!”
“I don’t mumble anymore, collector.”
“I’m not a collector anymore, pipsqueak.” I can’t help matching Blue’s grin, because even though Blue’s threatening my relationship, I’m happy to see he’s grown a pair.
Blue rolls his shoulders like he’s not sure how to say what’s on his mind. “We’ve got to talk about something.”
I glance back to make sure no one’s there, because whatever he’s about to spill sounds serious. When I turn back around, Blue is rubbing a hand over his jawline, which is crazy, because last I saw he barely had a jawline.
“That Salem guy and his brother, Easton?” Blue says. “I don’t like them.”
Finally, something the two of us agree on that isn’t my girlfriend. “Yes. That! Why hasn’t Val or Max gotten Charlie away from them?” I ask. “By the way, do Red and her bed-buddy even know you’re here?”
Blue nods. “Valery knew I’d be assigned before I did. Max found out right before the trip. So did Charlie. Kind of difficult to sport shadow on a plane.”
I think back to how many times Valery insisted Charlie was safe, that they had everything taken care of. I guess Blue being assigned to watch my girl was what she meant. It creeps me out that Blue’s been following Charlie, watching her, without her even knowing. But it was for her protection, I suppose. This also explains why Charlie called me nine times this morning. She must have found out about Blue and couldn’t wait to tell me. I grin thinking about this, then stop when I realize Blue is staring at me. And that he still hasn’t answered my question about Salem and Easton.
“So why are we letting these skid marks near her?” I ask.
Blue presses his lips together. “At first we thought that the more humans hanging around her, the better. The collectors don’t want to chance hurting anyone else. So if she’s surrounded by humans outside of school hours, all the better, right?”
“And now?” I ask, feeling my fists tighten. Red and Max may have thought these jokers would help their cause, but I never liked the brothers to begin with. The sooner I can get rid of them, the better.
“Now we’re discussing it,” he says, “weighing the pros and cons. On one hand, Charlie’s whole goal on earth is to continue her charity and do good in people’s lives. She likes helping questionable characters, and we can’t run them all off. On the other hand, these guys are dicks.”
I nod my head and turn my palms up as if to say, exactly.
Blue loses his professional composure and sighs. “They keep pressuring her to do crap that…crap that…”
“Crap that most people our age do?” I offer, sharing his frustration.
“Yeah,” he says, meeting my eyes.
I groan. “Who even invited them? Not Charlie.”
“No clue,” he says. “Maybe Annabelle. But why wouldn’t Charlie invite them? Aspen stressed that she should bring whoever she wanted. And doesn’t it just seem like Charlie to extend an invite to new friends?”
“I still don’t understand why we don’t run them off. Surround her with other humans, ones that don’t influence her to do idiotic things.”
“Like rappelling into an underground cave?” Blue offers.
“You better be lying.” My blood burns at my temples.
Blue grits his teeth. “I wish I were. It’s like they’re some adrenaline junkies, and Charlie’s just going along for the ride.”
I spin on my heel, headed toward the house. I don’t care about anything right now but keeping Charlie safe. And if I have to pummel these guys to do that, I will. Blue grabs my arm before I’ve made it three steps and jerks me back, but it barely slows me down. I mean, Blue is bigger than he was, but he’s doesn’t have two hundred pounds of muscle spread over six feet, two inches.
“Calm down,” Blue clips. “We’ll watch them. Tonight, we’ll watch them. And if either of them suggests Charlie do something stupid, we’ll pummel their asses.”
I stop dragging Blue and hesitate. From over my shoulder, I say, “I get to throw the first blow.”
Blue laughs. “I can agree to that. Just lay off the protein shakes, Hulk. They put cow piss in that stuff.”
I turn around and study Blue for a long time. “You really here?”
“In the flesh,” he says.
“You gonna go after my girl?”
“Bet on it.”
I laugh, and a puff of air blooms from my mouth and into the cold afternoon. “Let’s get inside before your needle dick gets hypothermia.”
As Blue and I move toward the house, I catch him looking at me from the corner of his eye. His face is tight with worry, making my stomach flip. I grab his shoulder. “Is there something else you’re not telling me?”
Blue bites his bottom lip. Then he shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Blue?” I say, squeezing his shoulder tighter.
“Dude, stop freaking. If there was anything else to say, I’d say it.” He smiles, and I relax slightly. “Let’s get inside. My needle dick hurts something awful.”
Deciding to trust Blue for now, I follow him inside and immediately seek Charlie out. She’s sitting behind Aspen, braiding her hair. Aspen glances at me like she’s not sure how to handle Charlie being so kind, and I wonder if Charlie isn’t being nice to compensate for how she eyed Aspen when she got here, like she was ready to throw down to keep her man if need be.
Regardless of why she’s being nice, a warm sensation grows in my chest watching Charlie care for Aspen. It almost seems like by caring for Aspen, she’s caring for me, though I have no idea why.
Annabelle, who obviously isn’t pleased at sharing her bestie, glares at Aspen.
I turn my attention to Salem and Easton, who are spread out on the couch. And then I shoot toward them. Blue thinks I shouldn’t confront them, but that doesn’t mean I can’t remind them who’s watching after Charlie now.
I slide in between the pair and turn my head back and forth, grinning just to piss them off.
“Can I help you?” Easton says.
I whip my head away from Salem and stare at Easton. That was not what I expected. Easton glares at me for a long moment, and just as I’m about to pop him in his mouth—vow to Blue be damned—Easton throws his head back and laughs.
“I’m sorry,” he says, dark eyes dancing. “I was just messing around.”
I still want to hit him.
He puts his hand out. “My brother said you caught me looking up at Charlie’s window. Man, I’d probably kill someone if they’d done that to my old girlfriend.” His eyes glaze over and the smile slides from his face. “I get confused sometimes.”
Watching his shoulders droop, I almost feel bad for the guy. But I’m not ready to cut him any slack just yet. “How often do you get confused?”
He winces like I did hit him, and then I do feel bad. “Let’s just say I’m not real popular with the ladies.”
“It’s okay,” Charlie says from across the room, pulling a rubber-band thingy around Aspen’s braid. “It wasn’t a big deal. Right, Dante?” She glares at me, and all I can think is how much I want to kiss her.
I glance over at Salem who’s l
ooking around the cabin like a kid in an ice cream shop. “Place is so cool,” he mutters.
And just like that, I consider that these guys might actually be harmless, and that they’re probably not out to get Charlie. More like they’re a couple of daredevil junkies without a lot of brain cells to spare.
Aspen stands up and moves away from Charlie, reminding me of a nervous cat who’s been kicked one too many times and no longer trusts this level of kindness. “I’ve got an idea for tonight,” she says, tilting her head to the side so that we have a better view of her diamond nose ring. “Friend says there’s a rave going on down here.”
“A rave?” I say. “What is this, the nineties? Do people do that stuff anymore?”
Aspen rolls her eyes, and then for some reason she looks at Blue. “You in?”
Blue’s eyes widen to the point of nearly exploding, proving he’s not quite as newly confident as he let on. “Me? Yeah, that sounds good. I mean, that could be fun.”
“Cool,” she says. Then she lights a cigarette and moves to the kitchen.
I get up and stride toward Charlie, no longer able to keep my hands off her. Pulling her to her feet, I wrap her in my arms and press my mouth to her neck. “Can’t believe you’re really here,” I whisper against her skin.
Charlie suddenly tenses in my embrace. “Hey, Aspen,” she says, stepping back from me. “Why don’t we start prepartying now? Why wait?”
My heart burns like a falling star. It’s not from what she said, though her words alone make me cringe. It’s that she pulled away. I was holding her against me, and she actually stepped back.
As Charlie all but skips toward Aspen, and Aspen retrieves a bottle of something scandalous, my mouth drops open. I thought I had one girl to keep out of trouble. One. But now—as I watch Charlie reaching for the bottle, and asking where the music’s at—I realize I’ve got two.
I’m a stunner.
A champion.
But I’ve only got two eyes, and I can’t keep one on each girl. Even I’m not that good.
As Aspen blasts Modest Mouse, and Charlie grabs her hands to dance, all I can think is, Ah, hell, no.