Sisters of Blood and Spirit
Page 24

His jaw closed. “Hi.” His fingers reached for my face, only to pass through me. I shivered at the trail of warmth he left behind, saw the disappointment in his eyes as the connection was broken. At least he’d seen me—really seen me—even if only for a second.
“Can I try something?” I asked. My voice sounded low and strange.
“Sure.” He didn’t ask what, just trusted me. I wished my sister would give me the same benefit of the doubt. Okay, that was unfair. Lark trusted me more than she trusted anyone, but that wasn’t always saying much.
I stepped closer. And closer. If I needed to breathe, I would have taken a deep breath. But I didn’t need to breathe, so I hesitated just for a second. This might go far beyond Kevin’s sense of “sure.”
I slipped into him, beneath his clothes, through the warm layers of flesh and muscle and blood, into that warm cavity deep inside all humans. I didn’t know if it was his soul, but it was a place that welcomed me, that closed over me like...well, I didn’t know what, but it was beautiful.
His breath caught.
Breathe.
He inhaled. Exhaled.
Is this okay?
“You’re inside me.” His voice cracked.
Do you want me to leave? I hoped he wouldn’t say yes.
“No.” He sat down on the bed, then stretched out on the mattress. I could feel his heart racing. I could feel him. “No, I want you to stay.”
And so I did. Even when he fell asleep, I stayed with him a little while, exploring him at a spiritual level. I didn’t leave until I had to. Kevin was still asleep, but my sister would be awake soon. I didn’t want Lark to ask me where I’d been, or what I’d been doing. This wasn’t something I wanted to keep from her because she’d be mad. It was something I wanted to keep from her because I wanted it to be just mine. Private. With Kevin I wasn’t a ghost, I was a girl, and that wasn’t something I was about to share.
Not even with Lark.
LARK
I woke up a couple of times before getting up for good Saturday morning. Once was around four and the second time right around seven. Both times it took me a second to figure out what was wrong. I was alone—totally alone. That hadn’t happened since Bell Hill, and for that reason it made me anxious that my sister wasn’t in the room with me.
I knew where she was.
The third time I woke up it was just after nine. I hadn’t slept well for the six hours that I’d been in bed, but it was good enough. This time my sister was sitting at the window, staring out.
“Hey,” I said, tossing back the covers. “You been at that all night?”
“Good morning!” She flashed me a sunny smile. “Did you sleep well? I was thinking that maybe I should check the library in the Shadow Lands for any information on Haven Crest.”
Some of my annoyance—and hurt—faded. I hadn’t thought of that. I would have never thought of that. “Yeah, that would be a great idea. Worth a shot.”
She looked so relieved—probably because she thought I hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t answered my question. “Do you want me to do that now?”
I shrugged. “Mayzel.” I’d picked up the term from my friend Jess in Bell Hill. It was slang for “might as well.” Drove me nuts, but I still used it. “I have to eat and shower.”
“Okay.” She watched me for a few seconds. “Are you all right?”
Guilty much? It wasn’t who she saw, or even that she was sneaky about it—it was that she was purposefully shutting me out.
Over a guy.
“It’s morning,” I replied drily. “No, I’m not all right. I need coffee.”
She didn’t look convinced and I didn’t care. I’d die for Wren, but right now it stung and I didn’t want to look at her. I felt left out. The feeling wasn’t new, but the fact that it had been caused by my sister was.
She left while I was pulling on my robe. After a promise that she’d see me later, she simply disappeared into thin air. Just faded out of this world into her own. To be honest, I was glad to be alone.
I went downstairs to the kitchen. Nan had breakfast ready—she fed me like I was a lumberjack. I sat down at the table to a plate loaded with bacon and eggs and fried bread. So good. She sat down across from me to a plate just as full. The woman was slim, but she ate like a monster.
“Where’s your sister this morning?” she asked as she poured me a cup of coffee. “I didn’t hear you talking to her on your way down.”
I chewed a piece of bacon and swallowed. “Shadow Lands. Hey, Nan, do you know if there’s ever been anyone like Wren and me in the family before?”
She thought for a moment. “I remember hearing stories about my grandmother, that she was ‘different,’ for lack of a better term. My father called her eccentric, but I don’t know the full extent. I’m afraid he didn’t talk about her much. Would you like me to see what I can find out?”
“That would be awesome, thanks.” Did I sound too desperate? Look too eager?
She smiled at me and watched me for a moment—almost long enough for me to start squirming. “It’s okay if there’s never been anyone like the two of you before, you know that.”
I nodded. “It would just be nice to have some information if there was.”
“There are several trunks in the attic that have been in the family for generations. I’ll take a look after breakfast.”