What we can do together? He gestured back and forth between us with one hand. Restoring a soul? Its more complicated than it sounds, and there are risks beyond the exchange rate.
What risks? Wasnt the exchange rate bad enough? A new thread of unease wound its way up my spine, and I leaned against the car beside him, watching light from the porch illuminate one half of his face while rendering the other side a shadowy compilation of vague, strong features. I was pretty sure that if whatever he was about to say was as weird as finding out I was a bean sidhe, Id need Carters car at my back to hold me up.
Nashs gaze captured mine, his eyes churning in what could only be fear. Bean sidhes and reapers arent the only ones out there, Kaylee. There are other things. Things I dont have names for. Things that you dont ever want to see, much less be seen by.
My skin crawled at his phrasing. Well, thats more than a little scary. Yet incredibly vague. Okay, so where are these phantom creepies?
Most of them are in the Netherworld.
And where is that? I crossed my arms over my chest, and my elbow bumped Carters side-view mirror. Because it sounds like a Peter Pan ride. Yet my sarcasm was a thin veil for the icy fingers of unease now crawling inside my flesh. It might have been easy to dismiss claims of this other world as horror movie fodderif I hadnt just discovered I wasnt human.
This isnt funny, Kaylee. The Netherworld is here with us, but not really here. Its anchored to our world, but deeper than humans can see. If that makes sense.
Not much, I said, but with the skepticism gone, my voice sounded thin and felt empty. How do we know this Netherworld and itsNether-people are there, if we cant see them?
Nash frowned. We can see themwere not human. Like I needed another reminder of that. But only when youre singing for someones soul. And thats the only time they can see you.
And suddenly I remembered. The dark thing scuttling in the alley when I was keening for Heidi Anderson. The movement on the edge of my vision when Merediths soul song threatened to leak out. I had seen something, even without actually giving in to the wail.
Thats why Uncle Brendon had told me to hold it in. He was afraid I would see too much.
And maybe that too much would see me.
CHAPTER 13
Nash must have seen understanding on my faceand near panicbecause he wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me closer across the waxed surface of Carters car. Its not as bad as it sounds. An experienced bean sidhe knows how to stay safe. But were not experienced, Kaylee. It was nice of him to include himself in that statement, but we both knew I was the newbie. Besides, we dont even know for sure that those girls werent on the list. This is all still theory. A very unlikely, dangerous theory.
Well know once Tod calls, I insisted, the new information spinning around in my head, complicating what Id thought I was prepared to do, should intervention prove necessary.
That might not be tonight.
It will be. Hed find out for us. Soon. Whether wed actually gotten through to him, or he just really wanted my last name, Id known in the instant before hed disappeared that he would get us the information. Call me as soon as you hear from him. Please.
He hesitated, then nodded. But you have to promise you wont do anything dangerous, no matter what he says. No soul singing by yourself.
Like Id admit it if I were planning something risky. BesidesI have no desire to see this Netherworld on my own. And my little talents no good without yours anyway, right?
Good point. He relaxed a little then, and kissed me goodnight. I held him tight when he started to pull away, clinging to the taste and the feel of all things good and safe. Nash had become a shining tower of sanity in this new world of unprecedented chaos and unseen peril. And I didnt want to let him go.
Unfortunately, in the world of curfews and alarm clocks, he couldnt stay.
I closed and locked the door behind him, and watched through the front window until he backed out of the driveway and drove out of sight. I was pulling the curtains closed when something creaked behind me. Kaylee? I jumped and whirled to find my uncle standing in the hallway threshold, watching me.
Jeez, Uncle Brendon, you scared the crap out of me!
His smile was more of a grimace. Youre not the only one around here with big ears.
Yeah, well its not the big ears that worry me so much as the big mouths, I said, grateful that I could hear Sophie snoring again, now that the rest of the house was quiet. I padded across the carpet toward my uncle, then stepped around him and into the hall, desperately hoping he was bluffing. That he hadnt actually heard my little argument with Nash.
He followed me to my room, and when I tried to swing the door shut behind me, his palm smacked into the hollow wood panel, holding it firmly open. Whats going on, Kaylee?
Nothing. Going for nonchalance, I kicked first one sneaker then the other onto the floor of my closet.
I heard you two talking. He leaned against the door frame, thick arms crossed over a broad chest, still well defined after who-knows-how-many years of life. What are you planning at the memorial, and whos Tod?
Well, crap. I shoved aside a pile of clean, unfolded clothes Aunt Val had dumped on my bed at some point and sank onto the comforter, my mind whirling in search of an answer that was at least as much truth as it was fabrication. But I came up empty. Nothing I made up would ring true to him, especially considering he knew more about bean sidhes than I knew aboutanything.
So maybe I should just tell him the truth. That way, if the rogue reaper did show up at the memorial and Nash refused to help me out of some misguided attempt to protect me, surely Uncle Brendon would step in. He might act tough, but inside he was a big teddy bear, and he could no more watch an innocent girl die before her time than I could.
You sure you want to hear this? I pulled my legs beneath me on the bed, fiddling with the frayed hem of my jeans.
Uncle Brendon shook his head. Im pretty sure I dont want to. But go ahead.
You might want to sit, I warned him, reaching to pluck my iPod from my pillow. The earbuds had gotten tangled again; I guess thats what I get for falling asleep wearing them.
My uncle shrugged, then settled into my desk chair, waiting with his arms still crossed over his chest.
Okay, heres the deal. And Im only telling you this because I know youll do the right thing. So technically, I think my voluntary disclosure exempts me from any penalty for what Im about to admit.
His lips quirked, as if a smile had been vetoed at the last minute. Go on
I inhaled and held the next breath for a moment, wondering where best to begin. But there was no good place to start, so I dove in, hoping my good intentions would bail me out during the less altruistic parts of the story. Meredith Cole wasnt the first one.
She wasnt your first premonition? He didnt look surprised. Of course, he couldnt have forgotten the other timesincluding the incident preceding my trip to the hospital.
That too. But, I mean, she wasnt the first girl to die this week. There was one Saturday night and one yesterday afternoon. It happened the same way with all three girls.
And you predicted them all? Now he looked surprised, his forehead crinkled, brows furrowed.
No, I never even saw the second one. I glanced at my lap, avoiding his eyes while my fingers worked nervously at the earbuds, trying to produce two separate wires from a knot any sailor would have been proud of. But I saw the girl who died on Saturday, and knew it was going to happen. Same thing with Meredith this afternoon. Which I assumed Aunt Val had told him.
Wait, Saturday night? The ladder-backed chair creaked and I looked up as he leaned forward to eye me in growing suspicion. I thought you stayed home.
I shrugged and raised one brow at him. I thought I was human.
My uncle frowned but nodded, as if to say hed earned that one. Still, I couldnt believe Aunt Val hadnt ratted on me. As cool as that was of her, I couldnt help wondering why. Had all the coffee made her forget my indiscretion?
So where did this first girl die? He leaned back again, crossing thick arms over his chest. Where did you go?
Suddenly the wires now tangled around my fingers seemed fascinatingTaboo, this dance club in the West End. But
He scowled, and even with thick brown brows casting shadows across his eyes, I thought I saw some movement of the green in his irises. I know that never happened before. I would have noticed. How did you even get into a nightclub? he demanded. Do you have a fake ID?
I rolled my eyes. No, I just snuck in through the back. Sort ofBut thats not really the point, I rushed on, hoping hed be distracted by the next part. One of the girls in the club wasdark. Like she was wearing shadows no one else could see. And when I looked at her, I knew she was going to die, and that panicor premonition, or whatever it iscame on hard and fast, just like last time. It was horrible. But I didnt know Id been rightthat shed actually dieduntil I saw the story on the news yesterday morning. Speaking of whichAre the others dead too? The ones I saw last year? My fingers stilled in my lap as I stared at my uncle, begging him, daring him to tell me the truth.
He looked sad, like he didnt want to have to say it, but there was no doubt in his eyes. Nor any hesitation. Yes.
How do you know?
He smiled almost bitterly. Because you girls are never wrong.
Great. Morbid and accurate. Sounds like the sales pitch for a county-fair fortune-teller
Anyway, after I saw the news yesterday morning, I kind of freaked. And then it happened again that afternoon, and things got really weird.
But you didnt predict that one, right?
I nodded and dropped my hopelessly knotted earbuds in my lap. I heard about that one secondhand, but had to look up the story online. This girl in Arlington died exactly like the girl at Taboo. And like Meredith. They all three just fell over dead, with no warning. Does that sound normal to you?
No. To his credit, my uncle didnt even hesitate. But that doesnt rule out coincidence. How much did Nash tell you about what we can do?