Mortal Defiance

Chapter 1



Heavy raindrops pounded down onto a hundred umbrellas, making it nearly impossible to hear the priest’s voice as he performed the last rites over the coffin. People shifted from foot to foot in the cold mud as they watched Claire’s body being lowered into the ground. Ree saw Melanie rub the back of her hand across her nose and give a large sniff. Reaching out with the hand that wasn’t holding the umbrella, Ree wrapped her arm around her friend’s waist, and Melanie leaned against her.



Just on the other side of the coffin, Paden stood morosely with his family. Ree couldn’t see his face because he hadn’t looked up from the ground since he had set Claire’s coffin down. She could feel his overwhelming guilt and sorrow mixing with the anguish of his gathered family. Being at a funeral was the last place in the world Ree wanted to be. The pain of the people around her was stabbing into her heart, making her gut wrench. She did her best to squeeze her power into a tight ball at the center of her chest, attempting to tune everyone else out. If it had been nighttime, she would never have allowed herself to take her defenses down, but even through the rain it was bright enough to keep any Dark Ones from being out. Her jaw clenched at the thought of the people that had murdered her friend.



Her chest constricted and it became difficult to breathe when the distorted face of her brother flashed through her memory. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it did nothing to erase the image from her mind. When she was able to face the world again, she caught Paden looking at her. Rainwater ran over his face, dripping onto the ground below him, while his emerald eyes made her heart stutter. Unable to tear her gaze away from his, she didn’t realize everyone was leaving until her mother pulled on her arm.



Mrs. McKenna was not handling Claire’s death very well. Her face had a blank stare that spoke of the drugs her doctor had prescribed for her nerves. Ree wasn’t sure how much Valium her mother had taken before the funeral, but she walked and talked like a zombie, mumbling and stuttering her words while stumbling around the church and cemetery. Even her fingers on Ree’s elbow were loose, only tightening when she thought Ree wouldn’t follow. Taking her eyes from Paden’s, she placed an arm around her mother’s waist and walked with her small family toward their car.



“Help your mom get in the passenger side, Ree.” Her father, Steven, opened the door and shielded them from the rain with a giant black umbrella. Her mother sat down in the car morosely, her face tight with anxiety, despite the medication. Ree leaned over and snapped her mother’s seat belt into place before gently closing the door. She looked up at her father, and he attempted a smile that only managed to pull the skin tight around his mouth.



“She’s going to be okay, sweetheart.” He opened the backseat car door for Ree. As he was closing the door, she heard him mutter, “Couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”



She closed her eyes in agreement. Just when her mother had been willing to stray from the comfort of her home, tragedy had struck a close family friend. It brought back all of the pain and sorrow of her own family’s grief, causing her mother to spiral downward. Her panic had been so intense, Ree’s father thought she was having a heart attack and had rushed her to the nearest hospital in Atlanta, where they were staying. After several tests, doctors realized she was simply inconsolable and sedated her.



As her father pulled away from the curb and into traffic, Ree caught a glimpse through the raindrops on her window of a black Mercedes pulling alongside them. She couldn’t see in the dark, tinted windows, but she knew it was Roland. After a moment, she watched as he decelerated and took up a spot a few cars behind her family.



Because Paden would not be able to leave his family for a while, it had been decided Roland would take up a guard post at the McKennas’ house. It hadn’t been talked about much, but Ree knew Sophie and Roland were worried Tristan might try to enter his old home. While the McKennas were at the funeral, Sophie had been laying protective barriers around their house with magic. Ree would go home and try to add to the layers herself. Terror at the thought of Tristan showing up caused her breathing to become shallow. How could she possibly explain to her parents her brother’s new monster status?



No one spoke on the way home, which left Ree haunted by the image of Claire’s listless body. She had been unconscious as her friends escaped from the cemetery, so hadn’t known what had happened to the younger girl’s body. Apparently, after the Dark Ones had drained all of her blood, Claire was of no use. They’d left her body lying in the dirt at the foot of a monument. Roland had called a police officer that was supposed to be ‘in the know’ about the monsters running the streets. After staying to make sure the body was found by the authorities, Roland had made it back shortly after Ree had fallen asleep.



The rest of that weekend had been a blur. Her mother calling her frantically in the middle of the night after hearing about Claire. Being trapped in the house with her family, because her mother would panic if she couldn’t see them at all times. Sophie and Roland taking turns walking the perimeter of her home, as if they were guarding a castle. Paden’s short phone calls, where he seemed to be as distraught about not seeing her as her mother. Juliette and Melanie staying over one night in an attempt to relax and relieve the tension that was pummeling her. Her father asking her to help with her mother when she had fallen asleep on the couch clutching a photo album of Tristan.



The thought of going to school the next day was a relief. Even though she knew she would be looked at strangely, whispered about, and treated like a general outcast, at least she wouldn’t be swamped by her mother’s sorrow. Breathing was difficult when her mother was awake, much less functioning on a normal level.



After getting her mother in the house, Ree retreated to her room. Dark was descending on her house, and she wanted to change out of the wet clothes she had worn to the funeral. Since coming home, she had found it difficult to let her guard down enough to sleep. She even wore tennis shoes in bed in case she needed to wake up and react quickly.



Sitting on the edge of her bed, she finished tying her shoes and looked at her jean-clad legs. Her mouth pulled open in a large yawn that was interrupted by a light tap on her window. She froze and turned toward the window, every nerve in her body tingling as adrenaline washed through her system. Moving slowly to keep the wooden floorboards from squeaking, she glided across the room to the edge of the window. Another tap sounded through her room and she stopped, not sure what to do. Letting the power flow from her, she realized who was standing in the rain just as he whispered to let him in.



“What on earth are you doing here?” Her voice was harsh as she yanked the curtains aside. Paden stood there, soaking wet, still in the suit he’d worn to the funeral. Water dripped from his hair to travel over the planes of his face as he shrugged up at her. She popped the latch on her window and moved so he could hoist himself over the ledge and into her room.



“God, Paden, you’re soaked!” She grabbed a blanket from the chair next to the window and wrapped it around his shoulders. The white dress shirt clung to the sharp angles of his chest, causing her heart to beat faster. He didn’t say anything, just watched as she tried to dry him off. “What possessed you to come in through the window?”



His eyes were shadowed, but there was a distinct hesitance in his voice when he asked, “Can I stay here tonight?”



Chapter 2



“Is everything okay?” Unsure why the tension radiated from Paden, her eyes darted out the window, into the heavy rain. “Is there something out there?”



“No, nothing like that.” Pink colored his cheeks and his mouth pulled to one side in discomfort. “I just couldn’t stand to stay at my house.” His hand twisted in the blanket wrapped around his wet shoulders.



“Oh. I understand.” Ree squeezed his shoulder. “Though I’m not sure my house is much better. We’re pretty steeped in the doom and gloom as well.”



Green eyes that were almost fever bright met hers and her heartbeat stuttered. “If I’m with you, it won’t matter.”



Warmth spread over her body as her mind digested his words. Paden had always been so careful to not say anything that might lead her on. Had something changed his mind about her? For the first time in days, she wanted to smile. “Oh. Well, then, you’re going to need some dry clothes.”



“I guess so,” he looked down at the puddle of water surrounding his feet and shrugged. “I didn’t really think this through.”



“I’ll be back in a minute.” She opened her door quietly and stuck her head in the hallway. Using the power to reach through the house, she could tell both of her parents were in their room, so she slid stealthily down the corridor toward the laundry room. She dug through some of her father’s clothes that were still in the dryer and found a pair of sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Stopping in the kitchen, she grabbed a couple of bottles of water and some leftovers that were on the counter before heading back to her room. Balancing the plate in one hand and the water bottles and clothes against her chest, she pushed her door open and stepped into the bedroom, closing it quietly behind her.



When she looked back into the corner where she’d left Paden, she realized she had walked in while he was undressing. Shock caused all her muscles to freeze, except for her eyes, which roamed over his back and shoulders. He glanced at her and gave her a sheepish smile as he finished stepping out of his suit pants.



“Sorry, I was freezing.” There was something disarmingly seductive in his smile as he made his way toward her. Ree felt her eyes widen, and she swallowed to wet her suddenly dry throat. There were no words to express the thoughts floating through her mind.



“Are those for me?” He pointed at the shirt and pants she was clutching to her chest. Reality seemed to snap back into real time, and she fumbled with everything she was carrying to free the clothes from her arms.



“Oh, yeah. Here.” She held them out to him after setting the plate and waters down on her night stand.



“Thanks.” He paused, raising an eyebrow at her and flashed a wicked smile. “I’m going to go over there and…” He pulled at the waistband of his boxers and she blushed.



“Sorry! Of course, those are probably wet, too.” She turned around and closed her eyes. If she didn’t think he would notice, she would have slapped herself on the forehead. “Um, I didn’t think to get any, um…” Her voice trailed off as she became even more embarrassed. She had almost offered to get him her father’s underwear.



“That’s okay. This will work.” The floorboards creaked and, without thinking, she looked up into the mirror of her nightstand. The tan skin of his back practically glowed in the moonlight streaming in from her window. Her eyes traveled over the muscles that sculpted his shoulders and sides down to… She drew in a sharp breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Don’t go there, Ree, she thought to herself.



“I’m done.” Paden’s warm voice whispered from next to her. He was standing so close to her, she was practically sticking her nose in his chest when she turned around. She looked up at his face and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Without thinking, she reached up and cupped his face in one of her hands. His eyes closed for a moment, and he took a deep breath. “Thanks for the clothes.” He wrapped her hand in one of his and squeezed it.



“No problem,” she said quietly. “You need to sleep.”



“I think I can now.” He looked at her, and she noticed how much more relaxed he seemed just being near her. Her body and mind ached with the need to comfort him. Stepping into him, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her head against his chest. A deep, pent-up sigh escaped him, and one arm slid around her waist while the other reached up to stroke her hair. Hours could have passed and Ree wouldn’t have noticed. The only thing that mattered was the solace they offered each other.



After a while he stepped back and, taking her hand, pulled her down to sit on the floor with him. Munching on the leftovers, he told her about the turmoil happening at his house. How his aunt seemed to suspect they knew more than they had told. Their cover story for the night Claire had died had been simple. Jules had realized how late it was and in a hurry to get back they zipped through the alley to say goodbye to Claire. Claire had been alone and on her way back into the pub the last time they had seen her. They had all been asked for their story several times, but the only one that seemed disbelieving was Claire’s mother. Ree wasn’t sure if it was just mother’s intuition or if she might know more than she was letting on, but whatever it was had made Paden’s life difficult.



“And the nightmares…” His voice trailed off, and she realized he hadn’t meant to tell her about any bad dreams.



“Are they about Claire?” She looked out the window he had crawled in earlier that night. She didn’t want to make him even more uncomfortable.



“No. Yes. It’s just like that night, only…” He looked at her with a pained expression. “Only it isn’t Claire, it’s you.”



“I’m fine, Paden.” She smiled at him in an attempt to reassure him, even though the thought of dying that way made her sick.



“God, Ree. You were covered in blood. You could’ve died that night, too.” He looked away from her, but she felt the anger, fear, and frustration that washed off of him in waves.



“But I didn’t, Paden.” She laid a hand on his knee and was surprised when he grabbed it and pulled her to him. Seemingly effortlessly, he slid her onto his lap and brushed her bangs out of her face.



“I won’t lose you like that, Ree. I can’t lose you.” His hands cupped her face as he stared deep into her eyes. There was vulnerability in his features Ree had never seen before. She raised a hand to gently trace the contours of his cheekbones, letting herself get lost in the emerald depths of his gaze. Slowly, as if he was unsure of her response, he leaned forward and gently touched his lips to her forehead before kissing her nose, eyelids, and cheeks. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as Paden finally brought his lips to hers. Lightly, he kissed her, as if he thought she might break in his hands.



Worried she might scare him off, she let him continue his careful exploration. Her hands slid from his face down to his chest, where she could feel the beat of his heart under his shirt. When the kiss became a little more intense, her fingers bunched in his shirt, making Paden sigh against her mouth. His hand slid under her top and his fingers ran over her skin. Just like the last time they had kissed, that feeling of belonging filled her mind.

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