you, I still have to carry it out, no matter how much I might . . .” Asa caught himself. “You need to be afraid of me. Very afraid.”
They were only a few inches apart now, so close he could smell the strawberry gloss on her lips. “I am,” she whispered, but her eyes met his so easily that it couldn’t be true. At least, not in the way she should be afraid.
No, Asa realized, the fear she felt was the same as the fear within him. The fear that you’d do anything—give up anything, go against what you knew had to be true, all for the sake of someone else—the fear that part of you belonged to another, and you’d never, ever get it back.
You have to stop this , he told himself, even as he leaned closer to Verlaine, even as she tilted her face up to his. You have to stop —
Asa kissed her. He’d told himself he would never kiss Verlaine again, that their one embrace in the snow had to be the only one they would ever share. Yet here he was kissing her again, then again, folding her into his arms. Verlaine made a small sound—hungry and happy both—and he was lost. They tangled in each other, kissing faster, almost frantically.
It had always felt good to have a human body again, butthis—how could he have known it could feel like this? His skin blazed with warmth every place she touched him; he could feel her body pressed against his as he leaned her back in the car. Inside it was both as though he were dizzy—completely overcome—and yet more focused than he’d ever been. Asa could take in everything about her at once, from the way her breathing quickened to the taste of her mouth opening under his, and know her completely.
He tugged at the elastic holding her hair into a knot, and it came loose around his fingers. Verlaine’s silver hair tumbled down over his hands, framing her face. She pulled back from him slightly, just enough to whisper, “This is a really bad idea, right?”
“Terrible. I would say disastrous.”
“Right,” she said, and kissed him again. Asa didn’t even try to fight it.
Serving the One Beneath wasn’t like an after-school job; Nadia didn’t have a set schedule, hours when she was supposed to show up, anything like that. When she’d tried to explain it to Mateo, she’d said, I know when Elizabeth wants me there. It’s not like she takes me over or speaks to my mind, nothing like that; I just know, and then I need to go to her as soon as I can.
Tonight, she knew she had to go.
Dad had cooked this evening, under their new agreement where she’d let him make dinner at least twice a week. He still wasn’t good at it, exactly, but turkey tacos were prettyhard to screw up. When he cooked, she did the dishes, which was why she was elbow-deep in suds when suddenly she understood that she’d have to go to Elizabeth’s as soon as she could.
Nadia powered through the rest of the dishes, then walked into the living room as she dried her hands with a towel. “Dad? I was going to run over to Verlaine’s for a while. Can I borrow the car?”
“You’re going out in this?” Dad looked up from his book; Cole, playing some game on the iPad, didn’t even glance at her. “Looks nasty out there.”
“It’s just rain.”
“Still, a couple of the roads on the west side of town are washed out. Couldn’t you guys talk on the phone? But kids don’t even do that anymore, do they? You can Skype or something. Or Snapchat. What is Snapchat?”
She managed not to laugh. “Come on, Dad. Verlaine’s house is nowhere near the washed-out roads. It’s not far.” Elizabeth’s house was even closer; Nadia had walked it in better weather.
“All right, then. But you text when you get there and when you start back home. Hear me?”
“Loud and clear.”
While Nadia drove the few blocks to Elizabeth’s house, she took a good look at everything around her. Every single yard had deep puddles; all the gutters were thick with rain. How did it work, the magic they’d cast? Were
They were only a few inches apart now, so close he could smell the strawberry gloss on her lips. “I am,” she whispered, but her eyes met his so easily that it couldn’t be true. At least, not in the way she should be afraid.
No, Asa realized, the fear she felt was the same as the fear within him. The fear that you’d do anything—give up anything, go against what you knew had to be true, all for the sake of someone else—the fear that part of you belonged to another, and you’d never, ever get it back.
You have to stop this , he told himself, even as he leaned closer to Verlaine, even as she tilted her face up to his. You have to stop —
Asa kissed her. He’d told himself he would never kiss Verlaine again, that their one embrace in the snow had to be the only one they would ever share. Yet here he was kissing her again, then again, folding her into his arms. Verlaine made a small sound—hungry and happy both—and he was lost. They tangled in each other, kissing faster, almost frantically.
It had always felt good to have a human body again, butthis—how could he have known it could feel like this? His skin blazed with warmth every place she touched him; he could feel her body pressed against his as he leaned her back in the car. Inside it was both as though he were dizzy—completely overcome—and yet more focused than he’d ever been. Asa could take in everything about her at once, from the way her breathing quickened to the taste of her mouth opening under his, and know her completely.
He tugged at the elastic holding her hair into a knot, and it came loose around his fingers. Verlaine’s silver hair tumbled down over his hands, framing her face. She pulled back from him slightly, just enough to whisper, “This is a really bad idea, right?”
“Terrible. I would say disastrous.”
“Right,” she said, and kissed him again. Asa didn’t even try to fight it.
Serving the One Beneath wasn’t like an after-school job; Nadia didn’t have a set schedule, hours when she was supposed to show up, anything like that. When she’d tried to explain it to Mateo, she’d said, I know when Elizabeth wants me there. It’s not like she takes me over or speaks to my mind, nothing like that; I just know, and then I need to go to her as soon as I can.
Tonight, she knew she had to go.
Dad had cooked this evening, under their new agreement where she’d let him make dinner at least twice a week. He still wasn’t good at it, exactly, but turkey tacos were prettyhard to screw up. When he cooked, she did the dishes, which was why she was elbow-deep in suds when suddenly she understood that she’d have to go to Elizabeth’s as soon as she could.
Nadia powered through the rest of the dishes, then walked into the living room as she dried her hands with a towel. “Dad? I was going to run over to Verlaine’s for a while. Can I borrow the car?”
“You’re going out in this?” Dad looked up from his book; Cole, playing some game on the iPad, didn’t even glance at her. “Looks nasty out there.”
“It’s just rain.”
“Still, a couple of the roads on the west side of town are washed out. Couldn’t you guys talk on the phone? But kids don’t even do that anymore, do they? You can Skype or something. Or Snapchat. What is Snapchat?”
She managed not to laugh. “Come on, Dad. Verlaine’s house is nowhere near the washed-out roads. It’s not far.” Elizabeth’s house was even closer; Nadia had walked it in better weather.
“All right, then. But you text when you get there and when you start back home. Hear me?”
“Loud and clear.”
While Nadia drove the few blocks to Elizabeth’s house, she took a good look at everything around her. Every single yard had deep puddles; all the gutters were thick with rain. How did it work, the magic they’d cast? Were
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