Undead Or Alive (Bad Things #3)(29)

“You?” Luke tossed back. It was an old argument. “You with your judgement and your coldness? You kept everyone away, you still do. You think you know what’s best. That only you can say what’s right, but believe me on this, brother…you’re wrong.”

Leo’s hands had fisted. Because his claws were still out…blood dripped from those fists. Leo had shoved his claws deep into his own palms. That was an old habit, one that only Luke knew about.

Leo hurt himself when bad things happened—sometimes, it was the only way he could feel.

“She is light and she is dark. Amber always was. And that was what ripped her from us both.” Luke eased out a slow breath. “But no, to get back to your question, she’s not dead.”

Hope flashed on Leo’s face, and, for a moment, Luke remembered when they’d been children…before the world had said that…one day…one twin would kill the other.

That day hadn’t come. Not yet.

Leo kept ruling the so-called “good” paranormals.

And Luke ruled the “dark.”

“How do you know she’s not dead?” Leo rasped.

“Because I hired the Reaper. And I told him that she had to be brought to me alive. He hasn’t failed me before. He won’t fail me now.” Luke nodded. “He has her.”

“Then summon him! Get that bastard here!”

Unfortunately, things didn’t work that way—at least not with the Reaper. Luke couldn’t control him. Another deal, long ago. But he didn’t reveal that truth to Leo. Instead, he said, “Summon him? Why? So you can try and take her away from me? Try and convince her—once more—that she should fear me? Hate me?”

Leo stared him straight in the eye. “She should. She should fear you. She should hate you.” His shoulders sagged. “Just as she should hate me.”

Because they both knew the truth.

“We will destroy her,” Leo whispered.

And, one day…each other.

“Sometimes,” Luke said as he tipped back his head and glared up at the black smoke. “I f*cking hate prophesies.”





Chapter Ten


“Summon the f*cking hunter,” Leo snarled.

His twin was always so impatient. Didn’t he get that was a major character flaw? One of many that Leo possessed?

“Stop jerking me around. He’s one of yours, so call him.”

Luke sighed. “Yes, the Reaper is one of mine.” Which meant he should be able to control the bastard. But…Doesn’t work that way. So instead of a big confession about how he’d made a previous deal—or a few previous deals with the Reaper, Luke lied. He was good at lying. “I think her magic is affecting him.”

Leo stood in the middle of that wreckage. “What?”

“I suspected it would happen when I sent him after her.” Luke tapped his chin. “Only to be expected really. I mean, she paid for magic to hide herself from us.”

Leo growled. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

There’s plenty you don’t know, brother. “We can’t find her unless we’re ten feet in front of her. That’s the spell she crafted.” He’d learned that after a lot of careful research. “Well, since the hunter is with her now, her magic is acting like an umbrella, covering him, too. When he’s near her, I can’t see him, either. She cloaks him.” Luke thought that sounded like a good enough excuse. Better than…So, yeah, once upon a time, I gave him a few magical upgrades.

Leo began to pace. “I had her, in New Orleans. Couldn’t believe my eyes. It had been so long. And he stood there, putting himself between us. He was so determined to get her back to you.”

Luke nodded, satisfied. “And he will bring her to me. I’m betting Cass has no idea that Amber called out to us. If she hadn’t been scared as all hell, she wouldn’t have.” And that pissed him off. He’d told the Reaper to take care with her. Amber should have known no fear. “But she’s okay. He has her, I’m sure of it. And he will complete the mission for me.”

“You don’t know that.” Leo turned and paced to the left. “He could walk away from you. If he stays with her…hell, you’ll never be able to control him. They could go anywhere.”

“He won’t do that.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Have a little faith, would you?”

That got to Leo, just as Luke had known the taunt would. Leo surged toward Luke. “What makes you so sure?”

“Because I promised him the thing that he wants most in the world. And he will trade Amber to get that.”

“What? What do you have?”

Luke smiled grimly. “Someone he can touch, with his own hands. Someone who won’t be afraid of his monster. He wants a mate, and he made a deal with me. He won’t go back on that deal.”

But Leo’s eyelids flickered. “Love? Is that what this is about?”

“It’s about a great many things…” He looked up at the sky. “That plane up there has been circling us for a quite a while now. You know what I want to do? I want to find out who’s spying on me.” So he spread his wings, let them shoot out of his back, and then Luke flew straight up into the air. He reached the plane in seconds and saw a familiar figure inside.