Undead Or Alive (Bad Things #3)(43)

“Stop.” Luke’s voice. Flat. Cold.

The scythe had cut deeper into him.

But Luke stared at Cass with no fear in his glowing gaze. No, not fear.

Pity.

“Cass didn’t kill her,” Luke said.

Cass didn’t kill her. He sucked in a deep breath.

“That bastard Gregory did. Amber told me…I saw through her eyes. He wanted me to think Cass had taken Amber’s life. Wanted me to fly in with a fury and attack the Reaper.” Luke’s hold tightened on Amber’s body. “He wants a battle. He wants me dead. He wants the Reaper out of the way. He wants chaos…”

Leo’s body had stiffened. His gaze searched the darkness.

“I saw through her eyes,” Luke said again. “I saw him smiling as he broke her neck.”

Something in Cass seemed to break right then.

His gaze dipped to Amber’s neck. “Bring her back.” His voice had gone hoarse.

“I tried,” Luke rasped. “But Amber is light and dark, a mix of our parents. I can only reach the dark…”

Cass yanked the scythe away from Luke’s neck and shoved it against Leo’s throat. “You’re supposed to be the f*cking good one.”

Blood slid down Leo’s throat.

“You pour your power into her, do you hear me? You give her your power and Luke gives her his…and you bring her back. You reach the light side of her, he pulls in the dark, and you bring her back.” The breath he took burned Cass’s lungs. “Give her your power or I will take your life right now.”

Leo smiled at him. “Do you think you have to threaten me?” He moved closer to Amber and Luke, not seeming to even feel the wound at his throat as the scythe cut deeper into him. “I have loved her since the day she was born.” Then Leo put his hand on her cheek. “She used to follow me around…always laughing. She loved me.” Power swirled around him—the same brightness that had consumed Luke moments before.

“She loved me,” Luke said, his voice still low. His eyes glowed. Lightning flashed once more. “Loved me so much that she gave up her wings to save me. She wasn’t supposed to do that. She was never supposed to suffer for me.”

Their light pulsed around her. Then it seemed to sink right into her.

But her eyes didn’t open. She didn’t breathe.

And the madness clawing at Cass’s soul grew worse. “She’s not waking!”

Lines of strain appeared on Leo’s face. “Sleeping Beauty doesn’t always wake…”

She wasn’t f*cking Sleeping Beauty. She was Amber. She was the woman the Reaper loved. And Death wasn’t going to let her go.

Not ever.

“Heaven or hell,” he growled. “Tell me where she is.” And he put the scythe to his own throat. “Because I will go and bring her back. I will—”

Her lips parted. Amber sucked in a quick breath.

The light around her vanished. Her eyes opened—and they glowed with power.

“Amber!” Relief swept through him and he reached out for her. So desperate to hold her and feel her in his arms and—

Leo blasted him with a surge of white-hot power. Cass fell back, but lunged up—

Leo was in his path. “You want to kill her again? Because I don’t know how many times we can bring her back.”

My touch…In horror, Cass glanced at his bare hands.

Luke put Amber on her feet, and his hand stayed on her arm. He was touching her so carefully.

But Amber wasn’t looking at him. She was staring at Cass, and her eyes were wide. “Cass?” She smiled at him. “You’re okay! You didn’t—you and Luke didn’t—”

“We didn’t kill each other,” Luke said flatly. “Because I’m not a f*cking idiot and I knew Gregory wanted us dead.”

Gregory.

“Now that you’re back in the land of the living…” Luke muttered, “It’s time to finish some business.” He put his hands on his hips and turned toward the line of trees to the right. “Come out, come out…you soon to be headless vamp.”

Amber was still staring at Cass.

“I believe you broke a deal with me, Gregory” Luke yelled. “And that is a very, very bad move. The kind of move that gets a vampire killed.”

Gregory had broken Amber’s neck.

Cass walked toward her.

Once more, Leo stepped in his path.

“Get the hell back,” Cass snapped. “I won’t hurt her.”

“Like I’m supposed to believe the Reaper?”

But then Amber was the one shoving Leo out of her way. She threw her arms around Cass and held him tight.

His hands didn’t touch her. His eyes squeezed shut.

She’s warm. She’s alive.

“Your heart wasn’t beating,” she said, her voice thick. “That scared the hell out of me.” She looked up at him and there were tears on her lashes.

“You were dead,” he told her. “And that scared the hell out of me.”

Her gaze held his.

Gregory broke her neck.

Carefully, Cass bent his head. He pressed a tender kiss to her throat. “He will pay.”

“Cass?” Fear hitched in his name.