My Soul to Steal
Page 59
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You didnt stop her.
I was about to
Yeah. You can tell from how far down her throat your tongue was Tod said, sarcasm threaded boldly through each word.
Nash turned on him. This is none of your business. What are you even doing here?
You owe me $15.99. Plus tip.
Nash looked confused until he noticed Tods uniform. Ill owe you, he finally snapped. Get out.
Im going, too. I headed for the door as Sabines car started in the driveway.
Kaylee, wait.
Wheres her bra? I asked, my hand already on the doorknob.
Nash closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, miserably. She wasnt wearing one.
18
KAYLEE!
Someone grabbed my shoulder and my head flopped forward as he shook me.
My eyes flew open. Alec stood over me, his hair rendered even darker by the halo of light shining around his skull from the fixture overhead. His brown eyes were wide and worried, his generous lips thinned into a tight frown.
What? I wasnt even dreaming, much less having a nightmare. In fact, hed interrupted the first almost-peaceful sleep I could remember getting in the past few days.
And even as that thought faded, I realized the problemI was supposed to be watching him, not dozing. Id insisted that he take the first shift sleeping under the assumption that my dad would get back from my uncles housewhere they were conferring about the sudden spike in the teacher mortality rate at Eastlakewhile Alec was still asleep. That way I could explain about Avaris murder-by-proxy without having to break my promise to Alec to his face.
Obviously Id underestimated my own exhaustion.
Sorry. I sat up and wiped an embarrassing dribble from the corner of my mouth. Is my dad home yet?
No, Alec said, and I glanced at my alarm clock in surprise. It was just after midnight. Kaylee, this isnt going to work. He sank onto the edge of my rumpled bedspread, broad shoulders sagging in frustration and obvious fatigue. How are we supposed to watch each other if neither of us can stay awake?
Im fine, I insisted, standing to stretch. I just need some coffee.
If you guzzle caffeine, you wont be able to sleep when its your turn, either, and thatll just make everything worse. Alec hesitated, and I read dread clearly in his expression. Youre gonna have to tie me up.
What? No. I sat on the edge of my desk and pushed tangled hair back from my face, hoping Id heard him wrong. Im not going to tie you up, or down, or any otherdirection!
Kay, I dont think we have any choice. Avaris just waiting for a chance to get back into my head, and how happy do you think Sabines going to be with you, after her little stunt tonight failed?
Id given him the short version of my visit with Nash, skipping my promise to fill my dad in on everything.
If either of us falls asleep at the wrong time, things are going to get a whole lot worse.
My tired brain whirred, trying to come up with a viable alternative, but in the end, I was too worn out to think clearly, much less argue. Survival and a good nights sleep trumped my deep-seated aversion to restraintsborn of my week-long stay in the mental health wardso I finally relented and trudged into the garage for the coil of nylon rope looped over a long nail on the wall.
In my room again, I turned my stereo on and cranked the volume, hoping the noise would keep me awake. Then Alec helped me cut the rope into workable sections and showed me how to tie a proper knot. Evidently hed had practice restrainingthingsfor Avari in the Netherworld.
I bet the hellion never thought that particular skill could be used against him, and that thought made me smile, in spite of encroaching exhaustion, and the disturbing reality of what I was about to do.
The plan was for me to tie Alec to the chair in one corner of my roomthe one Id woken up inbut the back was one solid, padded, curved piece of wood, with nothing to tie his hands to. The desk chair was no better, and since I wasnt willing to tie him up in the living room, where my dad would see him before Id had a chance to explain, our only other option was my bed.
I cannot begin to describe my mortificationor the flames burning beneath every square inch of my skinwhen I knelt at the head of my bed to secure Alecs right arm to my headboard. Its okay, Kaylee, he insisted, head craned so he could watch me while he voluntarily submitted to something that would have sent me into a blind panic. Thisll keep us both safe.
I know. But I didnt like it, and my revulsion didnt fade when I tied his other hand, or bound his first foot to the metal frame beneath the end of my mattress. I had trouble with the final knot, but had almost secured his right ankle when a sudden hair-prickling feeling and a subtle shift in the light told me that someone was behind me.
What in the hell are you doing? my father demanded, his voice low and dark.
I whirled around so fast I fell onto one knee, and the end of the rope trailed through my fingers to hang slack. My dad stood in my doorway, his irises swirling furiously in some perilous combination of anger and bewilderment.
The music had covered his footsteps, and evidently the sound of his car.
I was about to
Yeah. You can tell from how far down her throat your tongue was Tod said, sarcasm threaded boldly through each word.
Nash turned on him. This is none of your business. What are you even doing here?
You owe me $15.99. Plus tip.
Nash looked confused until he noticed Tods uniform. Ill owe you, he finally snapped. Get out.
Im going, too. I headed for the door as Sabines car started in the driveway.
Kaylee, wait.
Wheres her bra? I asked, my hand already on the doorknob.
Nash closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, miserably. She wasnt wearing one.
18
KAYLEE!
Someone grabbed my shoulder and my head flopped forward as he shook me.
My eyes flew open. Alec stood over me, his hair rendered even darker by the halo of light shining around his skull from the fixture overhead. His brown eyes were wide and worried, his generous lips thinned into a tight frown.
What? I wasnt even dreaming, much less having a nightmare. In fact, hed interrupted the first almost-peaceful sleep I could remember getting in the past few days.
And even as that thought faded, I realized the problemI was supposed to be watching him, not dozing. Id insisted that he take the first shift sleeping under the assumption that my dad would get back from my uncles housewhere they were conferring about the sudden spike in the teacher mortality rate at Eastlakewhile Alec was still asleep. That way I could explain about Avaris murder-by-proxy without having to break my promise to Alec to his face.
Obviously Id underestimated my own exhaustion.
Sorry. I sat up and wiped an embarrassing dribble from the corner of my mouth. Is my dad home yet?
No, Alec said, and I glanced at my alarm clock in surprise. It was just after midnight. Kaylee, this isnt going to work. He sank onto the edge of my rumpled bedspread, broad shoulders sagging in frustration and obvious fatigue. How are we supposed to watch each other if neither of us can stay awake?
Im fine, I insisted, standing to stretch. I just need some coffee.
If you guzzle caffeine, you wont be able to sleep when its your turn, either, and thatll just make everything worse. Alec hesitated, and I read dread clearly in his expression. Youre gonna have to tie me up.
What? No. I sat on the edge of my desk and pushed tangled hair back from my face, hoping Id heard him wrong. Im not going to tie you up, or down, or any otherdirection!
Kay, I dont think we have any choice. Avaris just waiting for a chance to get back into my head, and how happy do you think Sabines going to be with you, after her little stunt tonight failed?
Id given him the short version of my visit with Nash, skipping my promise to fill my dad in on everything.
If either of us falls asleep at the wrong time, things are going to get a whole lot worse.
My tired brain whirred, trying to come up with a viable alternative, but in the end, I was too worn out to think clearly, much less argue. Survival and a good nights sleep trumped my deep-seated aversion to restraintsborn of my week-long stay in the mental health wardso I finally relented and trudged into the garage for the coil of nylon rope looped over a long nail on the wall.
In my room again, I turned my stereo on and cranked the volume, hoping the noise would keep me awake. Then Alec helped me cut the rope into workable sections and showed me how to tie a proper knot. Evidently hed had practice restrainingthingsfor Avari in the Netherworld.
I bet the hellion never thought that particular skill could be used against him, and that thought made me smile, in spite of encroaching exhaustion, and the disturbing reality of what I was about to do.
The plan was for me to tie Alec to the chair in one corner of my roomthe one Id woken up inbut the back was one solid, padded, curved piece of wood, with nothing to tie his hands to. The desk chair was no better, and since I wasnt willing to tie him up in the living room, where my dad would see him before Id had a chance to explain, our only other option was my bed.
I cannot begin to describe my mortificationor the flames burning beneath every square inch of my skinwhen I knelt at the head of my bed to secure Alecs right arm to my headboard. Its okay, Kaylee, he insisted, head craned so he could watch me while he voluntarily submitted to something that would have sent me into a blind panic. Thisll keep us both safe.
I know. But I didnt like it, and my revulsion didnt fade when I tied his other hand, or bound his first foot to the metal frame beneath the end of my mattress. I had trouble with the final knot, but had almost secured his right ankle when a sudden hair-prickling feeling and a subtle shift in the light told me that someone was behind me.
What in the hell are you doing? my father demanded, his voice low and dark.
I whirled around so fast I fell onto one knee, and the end of the rope trailed through my fingers to hang slack. My dad stood in my doorway, his irises swirling furiously in some perilous combination of anger and bewilderment.
The music had covered his footsteps, and evidently the sound of his car.
