Ben fell to his knees beside Simone.
The snow had turned her hair white.
She’s gone.
He felt her loss all the way to his soul. He reached for her. Scooped Simone into his arms. Held her close.
And wanted to die with her.
“
Well, that was painful…
”
Ben’s head jerked up. He wasn’t in the middle of a New York street. Wasn’t holding Simone’s still body.
His hands were empty, and he was on his knees in a…cemetery?
“I didn’t expect that little walk down memory lane to be such a pisser,” William continued as he brushed snow off his shoulders. “I mean, I knew it was rough, but…fuck me, that got ugly. Especially with you being all desperate in the street.” Then he paused and seemed to consider things. “Huh…I guess that explains why you wound up
here.”
Ben surged to his feet. He grabbed the demon. “Stop playing with my mind!”
But William flashed him a smile. “That wasn’t a mind game, friend. I told you. I was letting you relive that particular memory. Not everyone gets that—”
“
I’m not your friend!”
“It was actually a gift. I gave you back—for an hour, anyway—the life you’d had.” The lines around William’s eyes appeared deeper. His face a little grayish. “And, just so you know, that sure sapped a lot of my own power. A
thank you
would be appreciated.”
Ben’s teeth snapped together. “You made me lose her again!”
“But you also got to taste her again. Got to feel her against you. What’s pleasure without a little pain?”
“You’re insane.”
William seemed to absorb that. “Probably. See how you fare after you’re sentenced to over two centuries in hell.” His brows shot up. “But then, I’m trying to save you so that you
don’t
have to become like me.”
What?
“If you don’t let go, I’ll have to burn you again,” William warned.
Then he just went right ahead and burned Ben’s flesh before Ben had a chance to let him go. Swearing, Ben jumped back.
“
That
was for not saying thank you,” William snapped. His eyes glinted. “Try a little courtesy next time. It
is
the holiday season.”
Ben glared at him.
“This is the last part of my spiel, so don’t worry, you’ll be rid of me soon.” William waved toward the cemetery in front of them. “This scene? It’s another flash of your past. A movie-like version, playing right in front of you.”
At least he wasn’t having to experience this shit firsthand again. Ben felt like that last trip had ripped out his heart.
Because it had.
William stroked his chin as he seemed to consider the situation.
“
I figured we both needed to be reminded of why we’re having all this quality time together tonight.”
“I don’t need to remember this place.” He tried not to remember any of his past. It hurt too much.
But he didn’t exactly have a choice right then. Over the gravestones and the frozen flowers, he saw the shadows. Five forms—fighting. The sound of grunts and the thud of flesh hitting flesh drifted in the air toward him.
“
You’re gonna die, demon. We’re gonna slice every one of those tattoos right off you.”
Ben found himself moving closer to the battle. Just as he had years before.
“This was the first time I saw shifters,” he told William. “And the first time I saw a demon.” He’d just thought he was jumping into a fight, until he’d seen the first man transform.
William was watching the fight before them. “You changed a lot of lives this night.”
Then Ben saw his old self race from the darkness. He grabbed at the men attacking William. Sent them stumbling back.
One man hit a tombstone, then shot right back up—as claws burst from his fingertips.
“
What the hell?”
Yes, that had been his shocked reaction on that long ago night.
Because the guy didn’t just stop with claws. The man’s bones broke. Snapped. Reshaped. Fur burst from his skin. And in mere moments, a tiger stood in the man’s place.
The other attackers started to shift, too.
They closed in and Ben…
In that memory, he just laughed.
Because I thought I was about to die. And I was happy. I was going to be with Simone. I had nothing to lose.
“They didn’t expect your strength.” This came from William as he watched the scene unfold. “You’re a rare vampire. Stronger than even an alpha shifter.”
And Ben did take down the shifters. With his teeth. With his hands. With a strength that he’d never imagined.
Until only one shifter remained. Not a tiger. A panther. The panther didn’t attack. He lowered his head, showing submission, then he turned…and he fled.
“Why did you come to my aid?” William asked Ben as the images of the others faded away. The demon studied him a moment, then continued, “You didn’t know me. I was a stranger, but you risked your life for me.”
Ben smiled at him. He knew the demon would see his fangs. “I didn’t fight for you. I fought because I was hoping they’d put me out of my misery.”
William sucked in a sharp breath.
“That didn’t happen. I’m still here.”
And she’s still gone.
The snow was falling again. How fucking perfect.
Ben turned and walked away from William. The demon had said this was their last little show. He was more than ready for William to end his magic routine. This night had been a mind-screw from the beginning.
“If death was all you wanted…” Now William’s voice was deeper, seeming to echo with power. “Then maybe I can oblige you.”
Ben tensed. He started to spin back toward William, but the demon tackled him. William shoved Ben’s face into the snow. The blade of a knife slid across Ben’s throat.
“I could take your head, but that would be too easy,” William’s words grated in his ear. “And you don’t get easy. Neither one of us gets that.” The blade cut across Ben’s throat, drawing blood but not severing his head. “Remember what you’ve seen…
and be prepared for what comes next.”
Snarling, Ben twisted beneath the demon. He ignored the burn of the knife as he punched out at William—
***
Ben’s fist drove into the wooden wall of his cabin. He knocked a hole right through that wall, and cold air blasted inside.
“William!” Ben bellowed.
But the demon didn’t answer.
Ben yanked his hand back. He spun around. Searched the small cabin. There was no sign of the demon. Ben’s eyes narrowed. Was this another game? Another mind-screw that the demon was using to jerk him around?
But…it
looked
like Ben was back in his cabin, the little place in Desolate, North Dakota. The fireplace was empty. No more giant flames leapt from its depths. The cabin was ice cold inside and growing more so with each moment that passed, thanks to the new window that his fist had just installed.
“Stay away from me!” Ben yelled as he glared at the fireplace. “Do you hear me, demon? No more visits! No more games! Keep your ass
away
from me.” Or he’d finish what the shifters had started in that cemetery.
A soft rap sounded at his door.
Ben tensed. Had he
not
just told the demon to stay away?
The knock came again, more insistent this time.
“Go away!” Ben snarled.
But his visitor knocked once more.
He stalked forward, more than ready to beat a certain demon back to hell. He yanked open the door.
A demon didn’t stand on his threshold. A ghost did.
Her blonde hair slid over her shoulders. Her dark, warm brown eyes met his. She smiled. “Hello, Ben.”
Simone.
Simone stared into Ben’s stunned eyes. Her gaze swept over his face. A face that had haunted her for so long.
High forehead. Strong cheekbones. A long, hard blade of a nose. And that jaw—the wonderful square jaw that she had loved to kiss.
“You’re dead,” he gritted out the words as he stood, frozen, in the doorway.
Simone let her stare sweep down his body. His shoulders were so broad. His arms and chest were muscled and powerful. He towered over her own five-foot-four frame and—
“You’re dead!”
His shout had her gaze snapping back up to his face.
Ben’s eyes were wild. “Is this another one of the demon’s games? Does he think it’s fun to torment me with images of you?”
In that moment, her heart broke even more.
“I already see you in all my dreams,” he whispered. “I think I’m tormented enough.”
Even though she wanted to crumble, Simone pushed back her shoulders and stiffened her spine. She’d known this wasn’t going to be easy. She just hadn’t realized how much it would hurt to see him again. “You’re dead, too,” she heard herself blurt.
Then she winced. That was hardly the introduction she’d intended to use with him.
His dark brows shot down.
“I, um, I mean…you’re undead.” That was the deal with vampires. Not totally dead and far, far from mortal.
He grabbed her then. Yanked her against him and
into
the cabin. Since he’d pulled her inside, she considered that an invitation to enter.
“
Be real,”
he rasped against her mouth, and then he was kissing her. She’d missed his kiss so much. He’d always kissed her as if he were desperate for the feel of her mouth beneath his. As if he couldn’t get enough of her.
Simone’s fingers sank into the thickness of his hair. She stood up on her toes as she tried to get closer to him. He was so solid and strong against her. So real. So…hers.
He tensed. His head lifted. His eyes blazed down at her, glowing now with the power of the vampire. “You’re dead.”
“You keep saying that,” she whispered. Simone licked her lips. She could still taste him. She wanted to taste him again.
“A dream? Is that what this is? Am I just dreaming about you again?”
She shook her head. “This is a visit,” she told him, fighting to keep the emotion from her voice. She’d fought so hard for this time with him. “I’m the second one to come and see you tonight.”
His brow furrowed.
Jeez, hadn’t William explained things to him? “Your life—your soul—is on the line, Ben. Tonight is your last chance.” His only chance. And she was so glad that she was with him. “Three visitors will come this night. One for the past. One for the present.” She swallowed. “One for the future.” She didn’t want to think about the future. She’d already glimpsed what could come, and it terrified her.
“I’m crazy,” Ben said flatly, but he didn’t let her go. “I’ve lost the little sanity I had, and I’m imagining you now.”
This was the part she dreaded. Simone exhaled slowly, and she let her own power slip out from her. Her shoulder blades tingled, then warmed as—
“
You’ve got wings.”
He leapt back, moving a good five feet in less than a second. “Fucking wings!”
Her hands twisted in front of her. She knew her wings—long, white, rather fluffy, especially when she got nervous—were fully extended. “When we met before, there were some…things…you didn’t know about me.”
His jaw dropped in shock.
“I was in New York because I was looking for you. But I…I wasn’t supposed to actually make contact with you.” She sure hadn’t intended to get physically involved with him, but Simone had broken all of the rules for Ben. “I was assigned to…help you. To guard you.”
He shook his head.
“I
was
your guardian angel.” Did he notice the emphasis she’d just put on “was” right then?
Ben shook his head again as he walked toward her. His hand lifted and he reached out to carefully touch one wing. “It’s real.”
“The wings are real, and so am I.” They didn’t have much time. This one night was the only shot that Ben had been given. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay with you.” She’d wanted to be with him. More than anything. But—
She’d changed.
He was still staring at her wings with something close to wonder in his eyes. “Why didn’t I see them before?”
Simone focused and slowly, inch by inch, those wings grew smaller. They kept shrinking until…
now you don’t see them.
“You remember the scars on my shoulder blades?”
He’d seen them. Kissed them. Asked how she’d gotten them. She’d lied to him and said that she’d been in a car accident when she was twenty-two. Well, technically, that had only been a partial lie.
She’d died in that car accident. As had her parents. But…she’d become something more in death. “The scars hide the wings. When I’m in the mortal realm, the wings shrink in size and slide beneath the skin there.” Their small size made them little more than a ridge beneath her flesh. “When I go…home…” She didn’t have a home any more. Hadn’t, not in years. “When I go home, the wings return to their normal size.” At least, that was what should’ve happened.
He spun her around. Stared at her back. She knew he’d be seeing the tears that were now in the back of her shirt. When her wings emerged, they sliced through her clothing. An angel’s wings were soft, true, but they could also become razor sharp—depending on the angel’s needs. When they were threatened, angels always used their wings for protection. It wasn’t all about flight with those wings. It was about power.
Slowly, he turned her back around to face him. His expression looked so confused, so hurt, when he said, “I thought you died in front of me.”
Tell him.
“When I was twenty-two, I did die on a street like that one. My mom and dad—we’d just picked up our Christmas tree.” They’d been so happy. Singing carols in voices that had been horribly off-tune. But that had been their tradition.
Get the tree. Sing the carols. Laugh all night during decoration time.
She cleared her throat. “A drunk driver hit my family before we could make it home. I survived for a little while, just long enough for an ambulance to get there, but I was dead before they could load me onto the stretcher.”
She saw his eyes flare at that.
“I died, and I was given a choice. I could pass as others do, or I could try to…help. I chose option two and wound up with wings.”