Page 52 of In Another Lifetime

“Kale!” I screamed. “Kale!”

Suddenly, Kale gasped. His eyes popping open.

“It’s done,” he slurred. “It’s done.”

Biter nodded.

“Micca,” Kale finally said, using Biter’s real name. “Get your fucking hand out of my chest.”

“You gonna live now?”

My brother nodded. “For probably longer than I deserve.”

Biter helped him to his feet, holding him until he steady. Kale shuffled over to me. “Hell of a thing when I’ve gotta do that.”

“What did you do?” I breathed.

“Took him where he belongs. Handed him off to the reapers. They hate that, hate that they gotta let me come back.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not talking about Dutch or the reapers.

“Fuck, Vale. I knew. It’s a side effect of my genetic mutations. I saw the change the second you opened your eyes. I’ve just been impatiently waiting for you to tell me.” Cupping the back of my head, thankfully without the energy pulses he’d used on Dutch, he pulled my forehead to his. “As far as I’m concerned, though, that doesn’t make you any less my sister. DNA says you’re mine. You’re stuck with me.”

“Really?”

“Really. Family forever.” He smiled sadly. “Will you…” He paused, visibly strengthening himself. “Will you tell me what happened with your souls? How she went? If she said anything? Did she…blame me?”

“She loved you. But she just couldn’t stay,” I whispered with a shake of my head. “No blame.”

Kale nodded, and Dayton pulled me back to him. He’d been so quiet through this whole thing. I was okay—surprisingly okay now that my secrets were out and Dutch was gone, though admittedly reapers terrified me. But I wasn’t sure if Dayton was alright, and that was just as important to me.

“I guess I’ll have to get along with that cop boyfriend of yours now, huh?” Kale joked.

“Husband. It’s husband and will be official real soon. And it’s Dayton, not cop,” Dayton told him. “I don’t care about any you don’t pick your club name rule.”

“Yeah. Okay, cop. We’re going to clean up the mess. ‘Fraid Dutch’ll be found in a drug house. Overdose. The call will come in tomorrow. Or maybe a couple days. He deserves to rot a little.”

“I hate moldering corpses,” my man muttered.

Kale snorted. “Whatever. You guys go home and do whatever—I don’t want to know. But make sure to see Prick before you go.”

“Why?” Day asks.

“Don’t you want to be cool like me?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dayton said without enthusiasm. I wasn’t so sure about getting powers either, but if Day was getting the serum, so was I. Just to keep up.

Twenty-Nine

Vale

We opted not to go home just yet. It seemed too far when we needed each other now. Plus Brennan was still here at the club, wrapped up with challenging Planny on the RPG they were halfway through defeating, and blissfully unaware of what had happened with Dutch. For now, he’d stay that way, too, other than to know he was safe.

Bypassing Prick for now, Dayton and I headed upstairs. As soon as the door to my suite of rooms closed behind us, Dayton set me on my feet. “Strip.”

“Now?” I gasped, my body heating up at his rasped demand and yelling yes, please!

“Not later. Now. Unless you want me to rip those clothes off you. They’re getting burned, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

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