Page 190 of Nightshade

“Pretty sure.”

Holding the string to my chest, I fought to hold back the tears that prickled my eyes.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Before I could protest, Remy wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. “I’m going to find him, okay?”

“You can … you can cross planes, right?”

He eyed me with suspicion. “You know about the planes?”

“Yeah.” I pulled away from him, staring up at him. “You can take others across planes?”

“I’m not like a Boeing, or anything. I can take maybe one other. But I haven’t done that in a long time. You saying you want to go back?”

Lowering my gaze, I shook my head. “No. Of course not. I mean … not right now. But if I needed to …”

His finger hooked beneath my chin, and he lifted my gaze to his. “I’ll take you.”

The creeping sensation of betrayal swept over me, and I gave a sharp nod, wanting to put distance between me and the thought of going behind Jericho’s back. Sickened by the thought, I turned to walk away, but Remy yanked me back.

Eager lips captured mine in an unwelcomed kiss.

Palms to his chest, I pushed him off me, successfully that time. “What the hell are you doing!”

“I’m sorry. Lucifer in hell, you smell so good. That scent … it’s in my head, and I … I want to fuck you so badly right now.” He ran a hand down his face and shook his head. Only then did I notice the rims of his eyes were red. “I went to that old house of yours. Going through pictures and shit of you.”

“You went through my pictures?”

“Had to find one of your dad.”

“I showed you a picture of my dad.”

“What the fuck do you think I have? Photographic memory? Half of Chicago is bald old men. That’s like finding a needle in a stack of needles.”

“You’re an asshole. I can’t believe you went through my stuff.”

His cheek twitched and he looked away. Guiltily.

“You better not have taken anything of mine,” I warned.

“Nah. Just …” He reached into the other pocket and held up a pair of my panties, which dangled from his fingertip.

Swiping them out of his hand, I growled back at him. “You really are an asshole!”

Frustrated, I stormed back toward the cathedral, leaving him standing at the edge of the woods.

“I promise I only took the one pair!” He called after me, but I didn’t bother to look back.

Asshole.

* * *

I shaped the string into the infinity symbol on the duvet of my bed and traced a finger over its conjoined loops. It had to be a message from my father. Who else would’ve known to leave that? He must’ve visited me in the time I’d been gone. Which meant he could very well have still been alive.

Alive!

So many thoughts plagued my head. The most perplexing? Whether to stay where I was, with Jericho, or cross back over and aid the search.

I’d be lying if I said the thought of leaving didn’t trouble me a little. It didn’t make sense that I’d want to stay in Nightshade. That I’d want to risk losing myself there. But the intrigue of Jericho had gripped me by the throat. The man fascinated me. Set my body on fire. I noticed the draw every time he was around me. Like electricity, something sparked between us, some inexplicable pull that titillated my senses.