Page 39 of Gifted Destiny

“They do?” She seems more awake now, but her attention isn’t on her eyes. “But I guess that’s why I’ve always been a little able to see in the dark. What’s going on though? You look weird, and I can feel the bed move when you do.”

Instead of answering with words, I rapidly close the distance between us. Although her widening eyes provide a landmark, I place a couple kisses around her mouth before I find her lips. Once we’re connected, however, I don’t hold back. The pressure of her full lips against mine is everything I’ve dreamed about for the last five years and so much better than the few we’ve snatched during my brief moments of solidity. The static prickle of my ghostly form always lingered when I managed a corporeal state, and I couldn’t help but be worried I’d hurt her. It’s entirely absent now.

Instead of the constant worry that I’ll ghost her, her perfect lips are the only thing on my mind. The pressure of her lips is soft and warm against me, just as I imagine the curves of her body will feel. My pain receptors might be muted, butmy pleasure receptors – if such a thing exists – spark with sensation.

I press her backward, needing more, but she pulls away. The sudden glare of the bedside lamp makes me want to hiss like a theatrical vampire. After I blink several times, I see the surprise and confusion on Zosia’s face as she studies me. Restless unease takes the sharp urgency of my desire down a notch. I might act cocky, but this woman’s opinion of me could reduce me to nothing in seconds.

“What’s going on?” Her eyes widen as a thought occurs to her. “Is this a dream?”

I chuckle. “If you’re dreaming, then so am I. I don’t think dream kisses feel that amazing.” The familiar blush on her cheeks relaxes me enough to sit back on my heels. This is when I realize that I’m still wearing my boots … on her bed. I can’t decide whether to prioritize answering her or removing them. My ghostly form has benefits I didn’t fully appreciate.

“Bren said he was still holding on to too much magic. After he spoke to Fin, he decided to discharge some. He transferred some to me and some to the library to give to you as energy. I knew you were exhausted after today. Do you feel any different?” Making my thoughts coherent and organized seems more difficult than usual. I’m worried about her reaction.

My best friend just stares at me, and I can’t decipher her expression. I need a distraction, so I scoot toward the opposite side of the bed. Even if she kicks me out, I shouldn’t keep my shoes on. The boots are more complicated than a simple pair of sneakers, and I fumble with the laces. I marvel at the intricate tasks that my fingers are capable of performing, but my fingers aren’t the only miracle. My legs and feet act without instruction when I pull the heavy boot off, the muscles in my arms, back, and neck flexing with strength. I’d forgotten how wondrous a human body is, even without supernatural additions.

Zosia’s silence continues, and I glance over my shoulder. She’s pleased, but I sense a darker emotion that she’s unable to hide from me. I remove my right boot more quickly and crawl back to her. I kneel beside her legs, facing her, as she sits against the headboard. My nearness draws the words from her.

“Why didn’t you and Bren wake me? Were the others there too?” Slight hurt accompanies her words.

Feeling strangely shy, I hold my hand out between us. When she places hers in mine, I’m amazed at how small it is. The golden tone of her skin makes my pale flesh look almost sickly. Her pulse flutters in her wrist, and it’s nearly enough to distract me.

“You were exhausted and we didn’t want to worry you. We also didn’t know if it would work. Fin gave Bren some tips, in riddle form, of course, but it wasn’t like we planned to do this without you. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Garrett and Avery weren’t aware either, and Garrett was – is – pissed.” I flinch. “He might still be yelling at Bren.”

“Bren called it a practice run, and I don’t think either of us expected it to work. But look at me! It worked! He thinks I’ll stay solid until dawn.” I grin and poke my thigh as if to demonstrate its solidity. I have more muscle than I remembered, but my duties as a prison guard helped me stay fit. I’d also spent a lot of time in our crappy underground gym working off excess anger and tension.

“Something really bad could have happened. You could have disappeared, Bren could have been hurt, the library could have been damaged …,” she whines. Her lower lip protrudes.

I don’t resist satisfying an urge I’ve had for more years than I can count. I lean forward and flick my tongue against that pouty bottom lip. Her soft gasp acts like a lightning rod, zapping energy and blood straight to my cock.

“It worked,” I whisper in a husky voice. “We’re all okay.” When she doesn’t pull away, I trail soft kisses down her jaw and onto her neck. I don’t remember the taste of food, but she reminds me of caramel – sweet and decadent.

When I’m near her, my senses aren’t muted; they’re amplified. Every brush of my lips or my fingertips sends sparks of fire across my awareness. My elevated awakening could be attributed to Bren’s magic or several years of nothing, but the reason scarcely matters.

The exceptionally exquisite soul before me encompasses everything I’ve longed for in my life and afterlife. Zosia might be why I died, but she’s also the reason I refuse to surrender my hold on this brief reality. I exist for her alone.

Chapter 19

Zosia

Kodi is kissing me …myKodi. As a boy, he comforted me when I was sad and read books to me when I was scared or bored. As a young man, he defied his father to protect me and saved me when I was on the brink of death. He is my first love, my best friend, and the only reason I didn’t lose my magic or my will to live. I owe everything to him.

The sense of betrayal I felt when I learned the men decided to transfer magic without telling me fades into the background. The ghost’s touch feels less ghostly than the few times he’s gained solidity. The prickle of his static aura is absent, and nothing stands between us.

My brain struggles to function as Kodi trails sweet, purposeful kisses down my neck. I grasp his shoulders, marveling at the firm muscles and substantial width. I want to explore every part of his body – the body I’ve looked at for years but been unable to touch. I’ve always been attracted to him, but the pull between us is stronger when he possesses a body that is in color.

Three hours ago, I couldn’t stay awake despite my reaction to Garrett’s attention on my legs. The three hours of sleep were more restful than they should have been, though, and this isKodi. I’ve pined after him for nearly a decade. It started as a pre-teen infatuation that developed into a crush and then love. I’d always thought that harboring desire for a ghost bordered on stupidity, but I couldn’t deny the yearning of my heart.

I want this moment to last forever. I manage to whisper his name between gasps as he sucks my earlobe between his lips. I don’t want him to stop touching me, but another compulsion takes over. “I want to look at you,” I say boldly when he leans back with a quizzical look.

I want to memorize every detail and paint a picture in my mind that I can recall when he changes back. His cheeks are flushed, and his chest rises and falls with deep breaths as he succumbs to my examination. Heavy-lidded eyes reveal turquoise irises. Tonight, they’re speckled with the neon blue of Bren’s magic. He might lack Bren’s perfect features, but both men are equally beautiful.

Propped against a mound of pillows, I raise my arms to touch him. My fingers comb through the thick copper waves of his hair and trace the burnished freckles on his skin. Desire imbues his skin with a coral hue, erasing the ashen paleness I remember.

Completely entranced, my fingertips graze his prominent cheekbones, the square shape of his jaw, and the hollows between. The bump in his nose indicates it was broken at one point. I remember that – how I’d seen him bruised and swollen with a white bandage across his face. He wouldn’t tell me what happened, even though I pressed. I won’t ask now. I don’t want to unearth memories that should remain buried.

Wonder, gratitude, and love accompany my touch as it trails down the column of his neck and finds the flutter of his pulse. I pause here, unable to believe that his heart is beating … that I can feel it. I know he’s not alive in the same sense I am, but that doesn’t matter right now. He is alive to me.

“Zo.” He lengthens my shortened name into a husky groan. The depth and vibrato of his voice are more substantial, and the change pleases my ears. His eyelids drift closed as my palms slide down his broad chest. He’s not as bulky as Garrett is, but he’s broader than Avery and stockier than Bren.

---