“Or you can be selfish with me now.” I pulled his head down to mine and kissed him.
He gave me a sweet groan before pulling away. “No, Princess. I want to be selfish with you forever. Even if that means being away from you more than I’d like each day.”
I pouted as he moved off of me, pulling me up. “Shepherd,” I practically whined as I climbed on his lap. He let me, and my chest swelled with happiness when those giant arms wrapped around my center.
“Grim, your brothers—even Payne—hardly take breaks, right?”
I sighed. No, my brothers especially worked themselves close to death. Two of them had someone to lose. I did, too. I understood what Shepherd meant.
“Can we work together?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I grinned. “Then, it’s settled. Now kiss me.” Waving my hand, I dematerialized Shepherd’s clothes. Well, I tried to. Nothing happened. I froze with my heart pounding.
Shepherd sensed my emotions through the bond and squeezed my hand gently.
“Did it happen again?” he asked.
Not answering, I tried to dematerialize his shirt. It happened instantly, and Shepherd quirked a brow. I glanced at my palm. For a moment, I’d sensed nothing. Again. Empty. Bile rose in my throat.
“Prudence, what is it?” Shepherd grabbed my chin, and the need to cry tickled my nose and eyes. Truly, I was a different person in front of my soulmate. Never once had I been a blank slate in front of him. It was nice to want to confide in someone.
“My powers…” I stared at my hands. “It happened again.”
“I think it’s time to tell your father.” Shepherd wiped away my tears.
“You’re right. For everyone’s sake, I hope it’s just me.”
Suddenly, he kissed me. It was like tasting bliss and breathing in life. That simple touch made everything feel okay, even if it wasn’t. Because I had my soulmate.
When he broke off the kiss, I blinked rapidly.
“Want me to do it again?” he asked.
I nodded, so he kissed me softly, sneaking in his tongue. My stomach got all fuzzy, and my racing heart slowed.
“I can kiss you all night. Just say the word.”
“You can do whatever you want to me,” I murmured between kisses as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Just don’t stop.”
“I’m going to hold you until you fall asleep and nothing more. I think that’s exactly what the princess needs tonight. First thing in the morning we’re going to see Grim.”
My soul reaper was right. Dad needed to know. In Shepherd’s arms, he took the worry away until the haunting images woke me…
One moment I was sleeping in his arms, and in the next, I bolted upright in bed. Sweat dampened my skin and my eyes bulged, but I didn’t see my room.
Blazing flames, reaching to the moon, filled the scene. The smoke obscured the night sky. A monster with huge horns and black, soulless eyes stood in front of me. My heart hammered inside my chest as I gazed at the towering creature. He stood in a ginormous pit with fire erupting from it. There was no way of knowing how large the abomination was.
Right before the images faded, I heard screams. Then, the horrendous scene vanished, and I was left trembling.
Shepherd’s furrowed brows and flat lips greeted me as he shook my shoulders. “You scared me! You’ve been repeating the word no. I tried talking to you, but you weren’t responding.” He scratched his jaw. “Prudence, your eyes were completely black the entire time.”
Tears slid down my cheeks as I glanced down at my hands. Not answering him, I tried fading. “Nothing. Nothing!”
“Relax,” Shepherd barked, rubbing his fingers over my knee. “What do you need me to do?”
“Fade. I need you to try fading. The human world is in danger!”
He nodded grimly, paused a second, and then scowled. “I can’t.” My heart sank. Of course he couldn’t. Shepherd’s powers were mine. If I had none, he wouldn’t be able to access them either. “Why can’t I?”
“Because it’s my powers you’ve been given,” I said. “And mine are gone. Shepherd, I think I’m mortal.”
Then, my Reaper senses kicked in again. Two more images of the same monster flew through my mind. Three simultaneous attacks at different locations. I materialized clothes on Shepherd and me.
His shoulders sagged. “Your powers are back.”
Too bad he didn’t understand what all of it meant. Waning powers weren’t good for any of us. “We need to go to the human world.”
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
I splayed my fingers across Shepherd’s chest. “Don’t ask. Just listen.”