Page 21 of Back In the Shadows

No one returned my laughter or smile.

Dope shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You killed Stephen. He’d forced his way into Ella’s house and held her at gunpoint. Once you arrived at Ella’s, you slit his throat and killed him in her kitchen. This side of you is merciless, but you watch our backs at any cost. When Death became obsessed with Ella, we knew there was trouble, but she handled it like the amazing person she is.”

Shocked, my mouth opened and closed several times before I could form words. “Ikilled Stephen, and Ella knows Death?”

Ryan squared his shoulders and tipped his chin up. I’d learned his body language when he went into cop mode from the time I’d spent with him and Cami. “She met Death first actually. You stalked her and showed up at her home. I was one of the cops on the scene when she called 9-1-1.”

“So, you’re all in on it and have lied to me my entire life?” Rage churned my stomach, the acid threatening to travel up my throat.Ella. How could my sweet Ella be connected with a killer? Fight for and protect him? The weight of this information stopped me in my tracks, leaving my mind spinning with disbelief. My fingers clenched and unclenched while I fought to keep my breakfast down. “Why now? Why tell me now?”

“Because Ella is in trouble, and we need Death to … to come out.” Kip’s expression twisted with guilt.

“She was taken because of Death, not me?” I struggled with the idea that someone else was in my mind. Wouldn’t I have known if it were true? The weight threatened to crush my chest as my mind began to sift through the numerous times I experienced headaches and then I experienced gaps of lost time.“I was worried I had a fucking tumor, not someone else inside my goddamn head,” I growled. “Not to mention a killer. If what you’re telling me is the truth, when did you meet him?” My heart pounded with dread as I waited for the answer. This wasn’t about me anymore, it was about Ella’s safety, and I needed to understand the darkness that lurked inside me to save her.

Dope’s spine stiffened and he took a deep breath. “The first time we met Death and hung out with him was the weekend we played Dungeons & Dragons at my place. You were living with us after your parents were … killed.”

My eyes widened in horror. “Did I? Did I kill my parents?” My legs shook with my question.

“No,” Kip said quickly. Too quickly.

“Someone else did, but that’s not important right now. Kip, Ella, Ryan, and I have known Death for a long time. We’re theonlyones that know.” Dope shoved his hands in his jean pockets, looking guilty and nervous. Dope was much easier to read than Kip and Ryan. He wasn’t afraid to show a softer side of his personality. Kip was a pro at hiding what he was thinking. In fact, I suspected there was a lot about his childhood he’d never shared.

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “If the son of a bitch that called wants Death … how… How do I find him? How do I?—”

“That’s the problem. Death was here earlier with Ella. Normally he doesn’t disappear so quickly, but when Death couldn’t find her and saw the chaos in the house, it triggered Sebastian’s return.”

A surge of terror coursed through me as I attempted to come to terms with the weight of the situation. My mind whirled, struggling to comprehend how they now saw me as two separate entities. Death. And Sebastian.

The realization was like a physical blow to the chest, as if my heart was pounding in protest against what they’d said.

Kip shot a look at Dope and Ryan, and I suspected he was hoping they would say something. What, I wasn’t sure. As far as I was concerned, they’d said enough.

Ryan cleared his throat before he spoke. “If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t believe us, but we’re telling you the truth. If nothing else, understand that Ella is depending on you to bring out Death. Her life depends on it.”

“He’s right. Doubt us all you want, but Ella needs Death, and we have to figure out how to find him,” Dope agreed. “I’ll let you three discuss how to handle this. I need to check on Cami.”

With the horrendous conversation, I’d forgotten Cami was here. “Yeah, I know she’s scared too.” Still looking at my friends, I reached for the doorknob and opened the door.

“Fuck,” Ryan said.

Spotting a pair of sandals and pink toenails, I looked up and was greeted with a horrified and furious Cami.

“How much did you hear?” Ryan asked.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as her attention darted to me, then to the other three men. “All of it. Verity wants her favorite stuffed bear, and I can’t find it, so I was going to see if Sebastian could help, but …” Her voice cracked as she stepped back, clearly terrified of me.

“Cami, wait.” Ryan shot past me and hurried after her.

“Shit. Like we don’t have enough to deal with.” Kip shook his head, his brown eyes narrowing. “Well, there’s nothing to hide from her, so let’s get to work and see if we can figure out how to tell Death we need his help.”

Dope rubbed his fingers over his chin, his thick stubble rustling beneath his touch. “Stress is a big trigger that causes the change.”

I closed the door, wondering how long this would take. My friends were right. It didn’t matter what I believed or howhorrified I was, I had to do this for Ella. Once I brought her home, and made sure she was safe I had to …

11

ELLA

I jerked awake as something cold pressed against my forehead. My eyes popped open, and the kitchen table blurred in and out as I tried to recall what had happened.Xavier left me to die.

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