Page 40 of Jacinth

I chasedHarley on that stupid dinosaur all the way to the cemetery. I couldn’t say when I became protective of this infuriating spirit, but she had grown on me. Logically, I knew she couldn’t be hurt, and there was still definitely something off about her, but she’d become like this annoying little sister. Plus, she seemed to be my biggest cheerleader when it came to Jace, and the sexual innuendo had died off, too. Thank god.

As we rounded the corner into the grounds themselves, the dinosaur shifted into an objectively beautiful woman in tight jeans and a leather jacket. She kissed Harley and sauntered off without a care in the world. Harley removed that stupid cowboy hat and fanned herself while tilting her head to watch the woman leave.

“What the fuck was that?” I yelled, unable to modulate the volume of my voice because... seriously, what the fuck?!

Skyler came panting up behind me and rested his hands on his knees, sucking in large breaths.

“Dude, you are seriously unfit,” I couldn’t resist pointing out.

“Shut. It,” he panted.

I smirked. Maybe now I could convince him to start at the gym with me when everything calmed down. Orion was a nightmare to work out with. Like playing a friendly game of tennis with a pro. They can’t help but humiliate you with their prowess in the field, and they always expect you to match their level of ability.

When I was either drunk or hung over 99% of the time? Let’s just say the thought of exercising with my eldest brother was enough to make me queasy.

Speaking of...

“So... you think we can drop in on Orion and Jace without catching an eyeful of his junk? I’m already not feeling that great.”

Skyler shrugged and ambled off toward her grave. I jogged to catch up, and we moved among the stones in companionable silence. Harley trailed behind us at a distance, uncharacteristically quiet after the display of the last twenty minutes. That reminded me…

“Harley, where did you find a dinosaur shifter? And while we’re talking, do you mind explaining why we just had to chase your ass all the way down here?”

Harley swung her baseball bat over her shoulder and strutted between Sky and me, leading the way toward Jacinth's grave. Where had her bat come from? And where had the cowboy hat gone? I needed to stop questioning these things for the sake of my sanity.

“First of all, Layla is a lesbian tyrannosaur shifter. Don’t group her in with an entire subspecies, because she is her own person. Second, no one made you chase me. You did that on your own. Oh, and third, she and her sister, Storm, are freaking badass, so don’t look at Layla’s ass again.”

With that incredibly unhelpful response, she strode ahead and quickly disappeared among the trees.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at Skyler for help. His completely blank face reminded me I was alone in this territory.

“I can tell she pissed you off, but honestly, all I can think is that you two keep thinking I’m crazy. I’m not the one who looks like they’re talking to themselves half the time.”

I considered that for a moment. It must be weird seeing me interact with the dead. Listening as though hearing only one half of a telephone conversation, watching as though I were a mime. To me, they were as real as Sky. I had been battered, bruised, cut... touched. My family had always assumed it was self-inflicted, or the result of my being a ‘troubled youth’.

Not so.

“Well, there is the catatonic state you go into. The sleepwalking, where we can’t see any sign of recognition from you. The dead tone you use to report things no one else witnesses...”

Sky sighed and turned to walk away, but I grabbed his arm. I felt the undeniable urge to get him to talk. To give him the catharsis, I had found in speaking my truth.

“What has been going on for you? Don’t front and say it’s nothing. It makes no sense. Two of three brothers are exceedingly powerful in arts associated with life and death and the third brother is only human? Nah, I’m not buying. You can trust me, I promise. You never want to mention it again after today? That’s cool, but talk now. Give yourself this space.”

Sky hesitated, so I pushed. “I’m listening. I want... to listen.”

All at once, he seemed to deflate. Only when he had let go could I see how tense he always was. On edge. Ready.

“I don’t know how much I can say, but I want to talk. I hate the secrecy, the rules. Well... I say fuck it. I have always been...”

His body hit the grass with a heavy thud.

“Sky!” I shouted, dropping to my knees to roll him over.

I found a pulse in his throat after a few attempts and put an ear to his mouth. The soft breath that warmed my cheek was a good sign. I sat on the ground and dropped my head back on my shoulders.

White clouds drifted over the quiet of the cemetery. It was eerie, with no hint of spiritual presence. I would have wondered about the absence, but currently I was counting my blessings.

He wasn’t dead.

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