Page 27 of Light As A Feather
I did that. I brought her back.She’s home.
That thought alone could send me to euphoria if I allowed it, could wipe away all of the misery, all of those lonely nights.
Despite that comfort and the blazing heat of the fire, an icy chill creeps up on me, the hair standing at the back of my neck. Living in a house brimming with spirits, I’m no stranger to being watched. But the eyes on me now are distinct, filled with a hatred I can feel from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head. Rising to my feet, I turn to find the source of all my problems.
“You’re at ease for someone on borrowed time.” Ivan leans one shoulder against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as if he’s completely at ease.
“Borrowed, stolen, I’ll take it.”
“I have no doubt. You seem happy with my sloppy seconds.” The indifference in his voice is betrayed by the narrowing of his eyes.
The insinuation is a slice to my patience, not my ego, as he intends. “Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking about her.”
“Or what?” There’s that smug smirk, the one that only these intellectual types who are born thinking they’re better than everyone have. The one they wear when they think they have no fear of losing.
I always did love wiping it off their faces.
Yeah, I was well off, but I wasn’t one of those insufferable pricks who let it define them. My parents worked for everything they had. Taught me the value of things and how dedication was the only way to stay ahead, excellence in what you do, the only way to stay on top. I never had any problem getting my hands dirty for the things I wanted, even when I could snap my fingers and get them.
“Or I’ll make your end excruciatingly painful.”
Ivan laughs. “You do realize I’m already dead…”
“Then I guess you have nothing to worry about, right?” There’s a challenge in the question, one he recognizes. His gaze tracks over me, top to bottom, then back again.
“You always were clever, I’ll give you that, but delusion is beneath you.” He strides closer. “How about we make a deal? Hmm?” His voice drips with an eager greed that turns my stomach.
Instead of telling him to go fuck himself, I clench my teeth. Not because I’m curious about taking up his offer, but because every crumb of information I can gather about his draw to Sol and his relationship with her, the better equipped I am to destroy it.
“You get to enjoy this little fantasy it seems you need to live out. Within reason, of course. How about I give you a few days together, and you can do whatever it is you have your heart set on.” His grimace is ripe with disgust, but he rights it, twitching lips forced into neutrality. “Then, you end it. Then, you give her over to me.”
The audacity is actually staggering, leaving me at a loss for words for several long seconds. “Are you out of your mind? Absolutely fucking not.”
“This is your chance to give her a peaceful end to her life. Don’t you think she’d rather have someone familiar, someone she cares for, do it for her? A morbid little thing like Solaneen, she’s likely dreamed of just that scenario. You, piercing your…blade…into her, holding her, talking her through it.” His lip curls in a devious smirk. “Yes, I do think she’d like that just fine. Seems more than generous of me.”
“In what fucking world would I ever do that?” I roll my shoulders back, itching to grab the poker even though I know it’ll do no good. Instead, I steel my expression, doing my best to maintain my composure despite the desire to react coursingthrough me. He’s seeking a response, playing on my emotions, my softness for her.
His gaze sharpens, his lips drawing into a narrow line of disdain. “I’m extending you an opportunity that I won’t entertain again if you turn it down.” He comes closer still, shadows thickening around him as his anger rises.
I’m forced to tilt my head back just so when he finally stops in front of me. He has several inches on me, something that’s rare, but height doesn’t make the man. He might throw an imposing figure around, but just like anything else rotted, when you find its weak point, it crumbles. For now, I choose to hold my cards close and bide my time. It takes every shred of control I have.
“How she spends her final days is up to you, but she will die.”
My vision turns to static, the room spinning momentarily. Just hearing those words short-circuits my brain. But a surge of violent protectiveness snaps me back to the present, everything sharp and vibrant, certainty electric in my veins.
“Let me make something crystal motherfucking clear. Her life isn’t ending, and I’ll never let you have her.”
“Tell me, Hawthorne. Have you ever watched the light dim in a woman’s eyes? Watched as her lips parted and stilled on one final breath? The way her breasts heave as she waits for death to settle in her chest?” His eyes go distant, but that sickening smile remains.
My blood turns cold, my stomach drops. I’ve encountered angry spirits, vengeful ones, even. But never in my life could I say with such confidence that I was staring in the face of evil.
He takes my silence as the obvious answer it is. “Then you could never imagine the lengths I would go to in order to have her. Youwill nottake that from me.”
The telltale groan of the top stair steals my attention for a moment, but Ivan recaptures it with a threat.
“Make no mistake, you will wish you never met Solaneen Gomez when I’m done with you.” He casts a glance over his shoulder, then holds my gaze as he walks backward into the wall. “I will make you regret ever falling for her.”
He retreats just as Sol reaches the bottom of the staircase, and I turn to the fireplace to give myself a moment to school my features. I have to ball my fists to contain the anger coursing through me and making my hands shake. Getting a hold of my emotions is no easy feat, but I’m determined to enjoy this moment of peace. There’s no way I’m allowing this to ruin the blip of happiness we’ve found.
