Iniquity (The Premonition, #5)(83)

Reed’s eyes narrow in confusion. “How did he know we were here?”

“He didn’t. He’s here because it’s my hometown. He associates it with me.”

“Your hand is cold,” he says, rubbing warmth back into it. Would you like to get something to eat while we wait for Russell? I need to find a phone so I can contact him.”

“I can send a clone to—”

“Let’s conserve your energy for more important battles, Evie. I’ll call him instead.” He’s out of the car and opening my door in an instant. With his hand on the small of my back, he leads me into an upscale Greek restaurant. We find a dimly lit table by the window. I look around at the dark wood walls and gas-lit wall sconces that give an old world feel to the place. A beautiful waitress appears to take our order. She becomes chatty when she sees Reed. I take the menu that Reed hands to me while she hovers by him with suggestions, pointing out her favorite dishes. After we order, Reed asks her if he can use a phone. I’m sure they never normally allow anyone to use their phone, but because it’s Reed and he has the face of an angel, she automatically agrees. He doesn’t even have to convince her with his persuasive voice. As she leads him to the back, she can’t help staring at him.

She returns before Reed with our water. I have the urge to stab her with my fork, but I’m better at controlling those impulses now. Instead, I take a sip of my drink, gazing through a picture window at the falling snow. “They’re close,” Reed says as he slips into the seat beside me. He leans to me, kissing my cheek and nuzzling my neck.

“They?” I ask. “It’s not just Russell?”

“I don’t think he could leave any of our family behind if he put a spell on them to make them stay.”

“Zee?”

“All of them.” Guilt, denial, and fear crash in on me. I want them anywhere but here. My aspire reads my mind. “It’s not your choice to make. It’s theirs. You’re not responsible for what evil does.” I know that he’s right. Everyone involved has to decide the role they want in this. It’s a war and it’s here.

“You’re right,” I murmur. Our food arrives. As we eat, I savor the exquisite torture of phantom touches from Reed’s nearness. I pretend that this is our life—that we’re just a normal couple having dinner together. I pretend that we don’t have dire consequences of an impossible contract between us.

I can’t help asking myself questions. What if it was the two of us forever? Could I hold onto this much happiness? Could anyone? My pulse races even now with him next to me. I swear that my body is made for his. Could I be content with someone else now? I know the answer is no. He has ruined me for anyone else.

When we finish eating, Reed’s expression becomes serious. He looks off through the window at the street outside. It’s getting really late. The staff is looking at us with an expectant air. They want us to leave so they can. Reed rises from the table and pays the bill in cash. He walks to where the staff has collected. With his persuasive voice, he says, “All of your guests are gone. You’re free to lock up now and carry on with your evening.” His voice whispers and hisses in my head. I want to itch my brain, but I’m unable to through my skull. Luckily, the sensation passes quickly.

The staff collects their coats in a drone-like stupor, before filing out of the restaurant. Reed trails the last one to the door. “You’ll remember tomorrow that you put your key in the mailbox after you closed tonight,” Reed says with an echoing voice, taking the key from him. The man walks away in a daze. Reed closes the door behind him and locks it, leaving the key in it. He goes to the bar. Selecting a bottle of wine and two glasses, he beckons me over.

I walk to the bar and slide onto a barstool. He pours me a drink. Taking the glass of wine Reed offers me, I touch the rim of mine to his. “To us,” I murmur.

“To always,” he replies.

I take a deep sip. He crouches behind the bar. A stereo system comes on with the muffled hum of electricity. Haunting music pipes through the speakers, defying gravity, floating through the room on a current of air. A soft guitar and mandolin with a bass instrument and violins weave in and out of one another at a slow tempo. Before I realize what he’s doing, Reed has moved the tables aside and is in front of me, holding his hand out. “Dance with me.”

I set down my glass on the bar. My hand closes in his. He lifts me off the barstool. My body presses and slides down his until my feet touch the floor. My heart beats faster. I’m in his arms. My head rests against his chest. Fire meets fire. He moves to the languid beat of the music. We’re really not dancing, not the way he’s capable of dancing. This is more like holding one another beneath the moonlight coming through the picture window. I only move when Reed moves, fading into him as if two becomes one. It feels as if he soaks into my skin and there is no way to tell where he ends and I begin.

“Did I thank you for everything you gave me?” I ask Reed in a whisper.

“Every day.”

“There was so much in this world that could hurt me and you kept it from me. If this doesn’t work out for us—” my chin begins to tremble.

“Shh…it will.” He holds me tighter.

“If it doesn’t, I’ll meet you on the other side. Okay?” I press my face to his chest, holding back my tears. I know it’s ridiculous, what I just said. There is no other side for us if we lose. We just end.