Fated (The Soul Seekers #1)(101)
I look past his shoulder, spying the first rays of sun sneaking up the mountain range just behind him. And if I tilt my head just right, it turns him into a dark silhouette surrounded by a nimbus of brilliant gold light that matches the ones in his eyes. “Trust me.” I grin. “Normal is looking particularly good about now.”
“So it’s a yes, then?”
“To blue-corn pancakes or being your girlfriend?” I tease, enjoying the way his cheeks redden.
“Both would be great, but I’ll leave that to you.”
I bite down on my lip, realizing I’ve never been in this position before. It’s always been: Hey, meet you at the Pont Neuf at eight. Or, in Vane’s case: Meet you by the snake charmer at dusk. By the time the movie wrapped and the premiere rolled around, I always found myself sitting with Jennika. I’ve never had a real date, much less a boyfriend. Never even had the prospect of one until now.
Realizing he’s still waiting for an answer, I look at him and say, “Okay.”
“Okay to breakfast…” He tilts his head, studies me closely.
I take a deep breath, my heart beating triple time at what I’m about to do. “Okay to both.” I exhale softly. “Oh, and if I didn’t already say it—thanks.”
“For what?” His brows merge, as he studies me closely.
“For helping. For understanding. For not pushing me to explain things I’m not quite ready to answer. And for being so kind.”
He leans his head back in a way that leaves him gazing down at me. “Haven’t you heard?” He smiles. “I’m the good twin.”
I freeze, wondering how much he knows.
“You know—good twin, evil twin? Lame joke, I know. And according to the Bone Keeper, I’m also the Echo—what do you think she meant by that anyway?”
I shrug, watching as he shakes his head and moves to unlock my door, but just as he leans past me, I stop him. My fingers curling around his bicep, I pull him closer, and say, “I have no idea what an Echo is, but I’ve no doubt you’re the good twin.” And I kiss him under the rising sun.
fifty-four
We drive by the Rabbit Hole, and at first sight I can’t help but think it looks like the sight of a self-contained apocalypse. The doors are wide open, the bouncers are gone, and when Dace parks in the alleyway and peers inside, it’s clear that the place is abandoned—there’s not one person left.
“I don’t think the party’s ever ended this early,” he says. “It usually goes on until noon, if not later.”
I lean past him to get a better look, wondering if we might’ve had anything to do with that. If we might’ve had more effect on Cade’s plans than I thought. There may be Richters in the Lowerworld—it may not be a complete victory—but we retrieved Paloma’s soul, along with a whole host of the others that were restored to the citizens of Enchantment. No wonder they no longer want to be here—they finally got their mojo back.
“Think anyone will notice I never made it to work?” Dace glances my way, and I shrug in response. “Guess the only thing left is to make peace with Jennika.”
He checks both mirrors and merges onto the road, as I stare out the window, gazing upon streets littered with skull masks and marigolds—jagged bits of grinning teeth and flowering eye sockets gazing up from the asphalt, staring vacantly into space, as though mocking the very people who lost them.
“Good luck with that.” I turn to face him. “She’s predisposed to hate you. Convinced you’ll be my downfall. Says you’ve got heartbreaker written all over you.”
Dace grips the wheel tighter, eyebrows quirked, gaze stricken in a way that makes me feel bad for saying it, but it’s only a moment later when he laughs and says, “Funny, that’s the same thing Chepi said about you.” Addressing my confusion when he adds, “That day at the gas station, when I saw you sitting on the curb, talking on the phone—Chepi caught me looking and warned me right then and there to keep my distance, to not get involved.”
“Why do you think she said that?” I ask. “It’s such a strange thing to say about someone you’ve never met.”
Did she get an impression of me like I did of her? Is that why she hates me?
Dace reaches toward me and places his hand over mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze when he says, “That’s what mothers do.”
I lean back in my seat, determined to push it out of my mind. Staring blankly out my window as the truck bounces down the dirt road before pulling onto Paloma’s street that’s crowded with cars, one in particular I can’t help but notice.
Barely allowing Dace enough time to park before I’m leaping from the truck and racing through the courtyard. Heart firmly wedged in my throat, as I bolt through the door, terrified by the thought of what I might find, only to see Jennika sitting at the kitchen table with Marliz right beside her. The two of them surrounded by a group of girls I recognize from school—all of them waiting their turn at a professional Hollywood makeover.
“Daire.” Jennika’s gaze slews toward me as she applies mascara to Lita’s top lashes. “I’ve been looking for you.” Then seeing Dace right beside me, she adds, “And why am I not surprised to find you together? You guys look terrible by the way. Where the hell have you been?”