Page 23 of Death Match

His words faded away, and my focus stayed on the two very stunned, very still men behind him.

What? A tall, shirtless, and extremely handsome man never just zapped into your living room before? It happened to me all the time.

Eli’s focus, though, remained solely on me. He hadn’t even noticed the others in the room. “You’re not supposed to be on this side of the veil before the Trials, Jade. Michael told you—”

As if snapped out of his stupor, Cole reached into his belt, produced a gun, and pointed it at Eli’s back.

“And who the hell are you?” he asked with a threatening rumble coming from his throat. “How did you even get in here?” He flicked the safety off the weapon, and my stomach flipped with worry.

I stepped in front of Eli and held up my hands. “Don’t shoot, Cole. He’s not a threat.”

Slowly, Eli turned around, regarding Cole and Sean for the first time. But like he usually did whenever interacting with the living, he looked at them like they were nothing more than ants under his feet. Insignificant, uninterested, unthreatened, and a bit…disgusted.

Cole didn’t drop the weapon. Actually, he gripped the handle tighter and aimed it for the center of Eli’s chest. “Do you know this guy, Jade?”

The last thing I needed was a shootout, but my words stayed locked in my esophagus, the sudden tension of the situation choking me.

“How did you get in here?” Cole barked at Eli, not backing down. “This place is warded from everything.”

“Yes,” Eli drawled, his expression bored. “Warded from everything but me.” Then he turned back to me. “You know we need to go.”

“I know,” I replied, my voice low. “But let me say goodbye at least.”

Eli’s brow arched, telling me he didn’t think that was a good idea.

“You know I won’t be able to see them for a while,” I whispered.

Defeated, he sighed, nodded, and stepped aside to allow some space between us.

I was hoping he’d give us more privacy, but after my stunt, I doubted I’d ever get a chance alone again.

“What do you mean you won’t be able to see us?” Sean asked, eyeing Eli with uncertainty. “Is that true? Are you leaving or something?”

“I…I…” I glanced at Cole, who had lowered his gun finally but was staring at me intently, and I lost my words again. It’d been months since I’d seen him, and that had been okay. But now that he was here again, right in front of me, I realized, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet.

“Wait, is that the same tattoo?” Sean’s question took me by surprise. He pointed at Eli’s chest where the Guardian mark was. “Is he like you, Jade?”

Still, I said nothing. Couldn’t even form a sentence if I tried.

“Jade, what’s going on?” Cole’s hard gaze bore into me, making the pressure to tell him the truth build. But I couldn’t.

I gnawed on the side of my cheek as everyone stared at me. Waiting.

After a long moment, I sighed and said, “I have to go away for a while. I…have something important to do.” One glance at Eli and he shook his head, confirming I couldn’t say much more than that.

“You’re going away with this guy?” Cole’s gaze flickered Eli’s way, looking unimpressed.

“Yes,” I replied. “Eli’s an old friend.”

“And her lover,” Eli said.

I choked on air and coughed violently. He really hadn’t just said that, had he? Lover? Oh my God.

Sean’s laughter only fueled the heat climbing to the surface of my skin. I didn’t dare look at Cole again, afraid to see his reaction.

Fuck me.

Seriously, Eli? Why? WHY?

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