“Does it matter if I am? Non, not if I like it,” he said, shucking off his boxers.
I caught a peek at him and gasped, my breaths shallowing.
He was still smiling when he kissed me again. Soon I was so mindless, I scarcely noticed that he’d stripped off my bra—until his warm, rigid chest pressed against my bare br**sts. He shuddered at the contact, groaning into our kiss. The weight of his body atop me was divine, welcome. Our h*ps began rocking, grinding, seeking.
Then his forefingers hooked the edges of my panties. “Up you go, bébé.”
When I lifted my hips, he tugged off the last barrier between us. Well, almost the last. From his jeans pocket, he took a condom pack, tearing the corner with his teeth. As he began rolling it on, I was transfixed. Utter lust.
Seeming unaware of my gawking, he moved between my legs. His outer thighs brushed my inner ones, and then I felt him hard against me. My cheeks heated, my body softening for him.
But as soon as he stretched over me, that pressure in my head increased. —The mortal is not for you!—
I jerked in Jack’s arms.
“What? Too fast?” He raised up above me. “You can tell me to stop if you want, Evie. Anytime you want me to.”
—You cannot know him this way.—
“No, I don’t want to stop. It’s one of the voices. Death’s. It’s like he’s in my head!”
—He’s not for you, creature!— Death repeated.
Why are you doing this to me? Are you such a hard-ass that you won’t allow the girl you plan on murdering some enjoyment in her final days?
—You deserve nothing but misery!—
Jack clenched his fists, the muscles in his arms corded with strain. “I’m goan to kill that son of a bitch, just for this.”
Get in line. How in the hell is this your business?
—Your death is mine, which means your life is mine.—
You’re insane! Never had I heard Death like this. Before, he’d always been smoothly mocking, taunting me with my upcoming demise.
Now his words were seething. —I am owed, Empress! Do this, and you will pay.—
“Evie?”
“I want this, Jack! Kiss me.”
He did, briefly muting the Reaper, rekindling my excitement.
But Death was yelling. —NEVER, CREATURE!—
This place was perfect, a moment in time; it should be just me and Jack. Now Death was ruining it. “It’s no use. He doesn’t want us to do this. And I don’t understand why.”
“Look at me, Evie. Stay with me.”
I gazed up at Jack, peering into his eyes. They were stormy gray, filled with desire, yearning. Even vulnerability. “He doan get a goddamned say, now, does he?”
When Jack held my gaze, Death was quieted, the heavy weight of his presence ebbing. —Sievā, do not do this. . . .—
See-whatta? Then he faded.
Faded to nothing.
“His voice is quiet. This is working!”
“Then I’m goan to be looking into your eyes when I take you. You hear me?”
I nodded, wanting this more than I’d ever imagined I could.
He traced his hand between us, lower, lower, dipping his fingers. “So hot,” he groaned. “So perfect. You want this too.” It wasn’t a question.
He began touching me as I needed him to, petting me. Whatever he was doing made me crazed for more. I rocked my h*ps to his caressing fingers, lids growing heavy, but I kept my gaze pinned to his.
His h*ps rocked too, wedging his hardness against me. My eyes went wide when he started to press inside. My glyphs ghosted over me faster.
“Doan be scared, bébé,” he rasped with a brief kiss to my lips. “I’m goan to take care of you.” Staring down into my eyes, he began prodding deeper. “I’ve wanted you for so long.” And deeper. “My God, woman!” When he was all the way in, a strangled groan burst from his chest.
Pain. I just stifled a wince, far from enamored with this.
Voice gone hoarse, he said, “You’re mine now, Evangeline. No one else’s.”
He must be right—because Death’s presence had disappeared completely.
Jack held himself still, murmuring, “Doan hurt, doan hurt.”
“It’s getting better.”
“Ready for more?”
I nodded. Then regretted it. Pain.
Between gritted teeth, he said, “Evie, I got to touch you, got to kiss you. Or you woan like this.” A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead onto my neck, tickling its way down to my collarbone.
“O-okay.”
Still inside me, he raised himself up on his knees, his damp chest flexing. His hands covered me, cupped, kneaded, his thumbs rubbing. When I started arching my back for more, his body moved. And it was . . .
Rapture.
“Jack! Yes!”
In a strained tone, he said, “God almighty—I am home, Evangeline.” Another thrust had me soaring. “Finally found the place . . . I’m supposed to be.”
He leaned down, delivering scorching kisses up my neck and down to my br**sts, bringing me closer and closer to a just-out-of-reach peak.
Each time he rocked over me, I sensed a barely harnessed aggression in him. Between panting breaths, I said, “Don’t hold back! You don’t have to with me.” I lightly grazed my nails over his back, spurring him until he was taking me with all his might—growling with need as I moaned.
Pleasure built and built . . . broke free . . . wicked bliss seized me, seized him.
As I cried out uncontrollably, he yelled, “À moi, Evangeline!” Mine.
“Yes, Jack, yes. . . .”
Then after-shudders. A final moan. A last groan.
As his weight sank heavily over me, I ran my hands up and down his back, wanting him to know how much I loved that.
How much I loved him.
He raised himself up on his forearms, cheeks flushed, lids heavy with satisfaction. “I knew it would be like this.” His voice was even more hoarse. “I knew from the first moment I saw you.” Stroking my hair, he started kissing my face, pressing his lips to my jaw, my forehead, the tip of my nose. “I am home, Evie Greene,” he repeated between kisses.
I never wanted him to stop. He’d been an amazing lover, but his afterplay? He was adoring.
“The first priest I find, I’m goan to marry you. I’m all in, peekôn.” His kisses grew more and more heated. Against my lips, he rasped, “How come I can’t ever get enough of you?”
Just as that rush returned and I knew we were about to get another round of this, I heard panting—comprehended that it wasn’t my own. I broke away. “Jack?”
We both turned to find a wolf nosing through the waterfall, its head halfway in. It blinked at us, then howled.
Not a second later, Lark called, “Hey, guys! You in there? I told the others I’d find you. We’re heading out. It won’t be long now.”
Jack rested his forehead against my own. “We’re goan to pick this up later.”
“Even more incentive to live through the night?” To Lark, I called, “Be right there.”
With one last lingering kiss, Jack helped me to my feet, collecting our clothes. As we dressed, I caught him grinning at me, knew I was giving him goofy smiles. I’d played my V card, and had zero regrets.
Hand in hand, I walked with Jack up to our pre-planned vantage point. Death’s presence was a memory. Good riddance. . . .
Jack squeezed my hand and gazed down at me. “À moi, Evangeline.”
I promised him: “Always.”
15
“So three Bagmen and a slaver go into a bar . . .” Finn began as the wails grew closer.
We were lying in wait on a cliff high above the chute. And we were invisible.
Selena whipped her head around, hissing, “Are you serious, Magician? They’re almost here.”
The horde was like one giant, wailing beast scrabbling up the mountain. Though the night was dark, we could see their creamy, pale eyes as if they glowed.
Selena and Jack aimed their bows. Matthew and Jack lay on either side of me, Finn beside Lark. She was spaced out, monitoring the approach of the cannibals through her falcon.
Her wolves crouched behind Finn’s illusion, ready to attack the horde from behind.
“What?” Finn whispered. “Just because we’re about to be swarmed by bloodthirsty zombies doesn’t mean we can’t have a laugh.”
Matthew made a eureka! hand gesture. “Zomedy!”
“Damn straight, Matto.” Finn always seemed a little surprised by how much he liked the boy.
I’d wanted to ask Matthew about my latest interaction with Death, but he’d seemed preoccupied before. Now it was too late.
When the horde began funneling into the chute like a rolling wave, doubt over my plan racked me. What if this didn’t work? Our sole escape hatch was that booby-trapped canyon. If the cannibals prevailed and pursued, we’d have to hit it faster than we’d ever imagined, at night, in the pouring rain. . . .
The bad part about having ideas that people listened to? The responsibility.
The Baggers lurched closer, their path decided for them. I held my breath as they approached our cliff. Keep it moving. Nothing to see here.
Yet when they were directly beneath us, they stopped, scenting the air—
They’d detected us this high up! Even over their own stench?
More wails sounded; they began attacking the barrier to reach us. With vicious strength, they tore at the briars, biting them, uncaring as the barbs ripped their slimy skin. I felt every blow, every bite.
Jack snapped, “Fire, Selena!”
They began shooting, dropping Bagmen, but more replaced them.
I gritted my teeth, sweating, getting my ass kicked by proxy. My hair turned red, my glyphs burning bright.
Jack reloaded. “Evie, hang on!”
“I’ve got this.” But power was draining from me in this damn rain. Pain reverberated throughout my body like the tolling of a bell. We had to make them want to run. I gazed over at Lark. “H-hurry with the wolves!”
“Not yet!” Her red eyes were narrowed, her claws digging into the rock, her canines lengthening. “The Teeth are just hitting the valley now. Buy us five minutes!”
I grated to Finn, “Make your mountain move!”
“I’ll try!”
I’d only been in battle with one opponent before. Now enemies teemed. Just when Jack and Selena had both run out of arrows, we heard a welcome sound.
Howls.
The Bagger tide swept forward, driven by the snapping beasts. Screams of pain sounded. Some zombies stumbled a retreat, now missing hands and feet.
Red of tooth and claw, Lark’s wolves snatched out throats by the dozens. By the time the Bagmen started descending into the valley, the beasts’ fangs dripped, their sable coats soaked with rancid slime. It oozed off them in the rain, like thick paint.
Dizziness as I’d never known seized me. I sucked in ragged breaths.
“Evie!” Jack lunged toward me, pulling me against him.
Finn collapsed to his back, muttering, “I can’t believe I used to think creating illusions was better than sex.”
The cannibals arrived in the valley, only to be greeted by hell.
Jack helped me to my feet. From our spot, we surveyed the scene as the Bagmen charged the Teeth. We heard men yelling orders. Shots fired. Chaos. Muzzle flashes lit up the night, but there were too many Baggers.
Just a matter of time.
Selena said, “Holy shit, they ran right for the Teeth!”
Despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t stop smiling. “It worked!” I turned to hug Matthew. “We did it!”
He blinked. “Did we?”
Face beaming, Finn turned to Lark, words leaving his mouth in a rush: “I’m hooked on you like phonics.”
She gave him a startled half-smile.
When Finn stared at her smile, she grew flustered, closing her mouth to cover her fangs. Embarrassed in front of the cute boy.
She cast him a woebegone look, but he grinned. “Let your freak flag fly, hotness.”
As if she couldn’t help herself, she grinned back, flashing fang.
As I gazed over our alliance, pride surged through me. We’d combined our powers and had created a perfect storm of badassery. I felt in my bones that we could defeat Death.
Because we were unstoppable. With wonderment, I thought, We can do anything!
I realized I’d spoken aloud when everyone turned to me.
Jack, the boy I loved, pulled me closer, resting his chin on my head. Lark grinned, giving me a gang sign of respect. Finn put his arm around her. Even Selena’s shoulders jutted back.
That was when we heard the first cannon.
16
“What the hell?” Selena cried as more booms shook the night.
Then what sounded like machine guns on steroids began blasting.
“I know that sound.” Jack’s expression was grim. “It’s artillery. Just like the Army of the Southeast had.” No longer were men screaming—they were yelling with pleasure, mowing down the zombies.
From the backs of newly arrived pickup trucks, they aimed huge guns, their bullets cutting through the Bagmen, scythes through hay.
Selena narrowed her eyes at Lark. “You couldn’t see that they were sporting that kind of weaponry?” She strapped her bow over her chest, preparing to run.
“I said they had trucks. I didn’t know what was in them!”
“ ‘This is my hood,’ ” Selena said, imitating Lark’s voice. “ ‘I know the Teeth up and down.’ How could you miss that they’re armed like the national guard?”
“They’ll be coming for us.” Jack grabbed my arm and started down the rise.
My legs were already like jelly. I reached for Matthew to hold my hand. The others followed.
As we ran, Lark said, “They must’ve found an arms depot in the last week or something.” By the time we’d reached the ground, her wolves had caught up, flanking her as we wound around charred tree trunks.