Nope!
That’s not it.
The reason is standing in front of me. It’s Lyre. I think I might be falling for him. I can’t! Not right now. I can’t move forward until I catch Lilith. I need to stay strong. Time is running out for Andy.
“I’ll see you later,” I say, projecting my voice.
Lyre turns slightly towards me. “I was wondering how long you were going to watch me, you perv!” He switches the water off.
I giggle. “You’re absolutely right! I need to be watching over you.”
“Come home for lunch,” he says as he steps out of the shower. His body is covered in droplets of water, and he’s sporting a semi. It’s nice to know I affect him just as much as he does me. He reaches for a towel and wipes his face. Then I think about what he just said.
Home.
I know he doesn’t mean anything by it, but I can’t help but think that it has a certain ring to it. “I need to stay out there.” I point out front. “I packed a lunch.” I hold up the banana.
He chuckles. “That’s nothing. Not nearly substantial enough for you.” His eyes connect with mine and hold me ransom. I want to say yes so badly.
I laugh. “You’re too much.”
He walks over to me and kisses me, slanting his mouth across mine. Then he’s deepening the kiss. I pull away. “None of that.” I put on a stern face. “I need to get to work. I’ll see you later.”
He frowns. “I hate that you’re out there.”
“It’s the only way to catch her.”
He nods once but still doesn’t look happy. “You text me the moment you see or hear anything.”
“I will.” I want to kiss him again, but I don’t dare. “Later.”
“Can’t wait.” He has this intense look that does things to me, none of which are sexual.
I turn away from him, partly to get the heck out of there but also so that he doesn’t see my smile. It has to be about a mile wide. It’s all so confusing. I’ve never been happier – or sadder – than I am right now. It’s like I’m being torn in two.
I’m about to head out the back door when there is a knock at the front door. I turn around. Lyre isn’t dressed yet. I decide to go and see who’s there.
I look through the peephole.
Shit!
Tall. Built. Good-looking. This guy is checking all the boxes. I think he might be one of them. I don’t think he’s human.
He knocks again. “Lyre. Let me in,” he says. He can probably hear me on the other side of the door and is assuming I’m Lyre. “I’m home a day early.”
This is definitely one of his friends. He’s a sitting duck. I go from hoping Lilith will turn up to hoping she isn’t out there, because this guy is in danger. I yank open the door.
“Who are—?” he begins, confusion evident on his face.
I grab hold of his arm. “Get inside,” I say, pulling him in – or trying to since he won’t budge.
His eyes have gone wide. Then his jaw tightens and his eyes narrow. He looks angry. Seriously pissed off. “Lyre!” he yells into the house.
Then he grabs me by the throat, pushing me against the wall at the entrance. His hold isn’t enough to bruise. His chest is against mine, so I can’t reach for my gun. Stupid of me to have let him in like that. His face is an inch from mine, and he has murder in his eyes.
“What the fuck!” Lyre growls. I hear footsteps. “Stephan…don’t…” He gives the guy a shove, and he staggers away from me. “Are you okay?” Lyre cups my chin. His voice is soft, his eyes are darting about my face. He tilts my chin up. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” I push out, feeling shaken. That should not have happened. I let down my guard.
Lyre lets go of me, he pushes the front door closed and turns to the other guy. “What the fuck, Stephan. What were you thinking?” He has a towel around his waist.
After what just happened, I need to double-check that Lyre knows this guy, even though I can see he does. “You know him?” My hand on my gun.
“Yes.” Lyre doesn’t turn back to me.
Why the chokehold? I rub my throat even though I’m fine.
“I don’t know who she is to you,” the new guy sniffs the air, “although I can guess. This house smells like a—”
“Don’t you dare,” Lyre growls. I see every muscle thicken and rope as he clenches his hands into tight fists.
“I saw something. I had a vision. She touched me, and I saw it.” The guy looks from me to Lyre and back.
I’m not sure what he means by that. He saw. What does that mean? A vision. As in he saw the future?
“I don’t know what you think you saw,” Lyre starts.
“It was a jumble. Happened fast, but I know exactly what it is that I saw.” He looks at me like I’m the enemy.
“I’m listening.” Lyre folds his arms. He turns to me. “Stephanus is one of us, he can see the future.
The future.
Okay then.
“You told her about us?” Stephanus growls. His gaze is outright violent when it turns back to me.
“Don’t look at Morgan like that.” Lyre actually steps in front of me. Using his big body like a shield. It both touches and annoys me.
“You’ve been gone,” Lyre goes on. “You’ve missed a couple of things. What are you even doing here? You and Jarrod are supposed to be hiking in the middle of nowhere. Bolt said he left you a voicemail.”
“We did the hike in nine days instead of eleven, and we…” He stops talking, putting his hands on his hips. “It doesn’t matter. What is going on? Bolt’s voicemail was a minute of silence. Something went wrong, and it didn’t come through clearly.”
“Morgan is helping me catch Gabby. Turns out Gabby is a harpy.”
“A what?” Stephanus frowns and folds his arms. He doesn’t look like he’s buying it. Lyre fills Stephanus in on what’s happened since he left. His friend listens, glancing at me with distrust in his eyes.
When Lyre finishes, Stephanus steps forward. “I hate to tell you, but your girlfriend over here is going to save the harpy. She’s going to shoot Bolt in the process.”
“Forget it!” I shout. “I would never—”
“Save it,” Stephanus says. “My visions are never wrong. You shoot Bolt to save that woman…that creature. The harpy is on the floor behind you and you shoot Bolt. Morgan – if that’s even your real name – is using you, Lyre. She must be working with Gabby.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Lyre looks at me, his eyes are filled with confusion. “I don’t believe it.” He steps back and puts an arm around me, giving me a tight smile. He turns serious, his eyes blistering me with their intensity. There is a softness there as well. “I know I can trust you,” he reassures me, making my heart clench.
“You can. I swear,” I whisper. I can’t fathom hurting one of Lyre’s friends. Bolt is arrogant and a pain in the ass, but I would never shoot him to protect Lilith. Forget that!
He leans in and kisses me, a quick brush of the lips that means so much to me.