Tessa has a secret--one that draws the unwanted attention of a hidden world beyond our own. When an innocent game turns deadly, she's guilt-ridden, determined to set things right for the guy she loves. But can she save his soul before time runs out...
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Jake's eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of himself crumpled on the floor, blood staining his shirt. He ran a hand through his thick hair, ruffling it up like a rooster.
"Tessa... You can fix this."He dragged his gaze back to me. "Right?" He shuffled forward, his glassy blue eyes catching the light. "You can do your necromancer thing."
"I can't—"My tight throat made my voice sound pitchy, like it belonged to someone else.
I wanted to pull him into my arms and tell him it would be okay. That I could fix this and set everything back as it was—but I couldn't. I wiped my wet cheeks across my sleeve.
He took another step closer, our feet almost touching. Never in the countless times I imagined standing this close to him would I have dreamed seeing him like this. When he reached for my hand, my breath hitched, and I sucked in a gulp of cold air.
"Can't or won't?"
"There are laws," I said, pursing my lips. "Even if I could, you wouldn't be the same."
It was almost as if I heard my heart shattering into million pieces as I said the words. I blinked back my tears in vain, feeling their tiny wet paths trace down my cheeks.
"Oh—" Jake drew in a breath. "Not even if I do your math homework for the rest of the year?"
That was how I got to know Jake. He used to help me with math, in exchange for help with editing English papers and stories.
"Not even if you did my math homework for the rest of high school."
"Wow—" He licked his lips. "You really can't."
I swallowed and crammed my hands into my pockets. "Afraid so."
Being so close to the gate, we could still see and hear what was happening on the physical plane, even if they could't hear us.
"Tessa! Snap out of it!" Wynter screamed, shaking the shoulders of the body I left behind.
Her voice reminded me this plane was only temporary, at least for me. Nick had Chloe tucked under an arm trying to protect her from another attack. Wynter looked like she was going to try and carry me out of the cemetery.
"You have a freaking sword?" Jake's wide eyes stared at the spatha strapped to my back. "That's pretty badass."
More like a lame-ass one. I hung my head and looked at my feet. My spatha was with me, and I pulled a gate key? Rookie move, Tessa. I shook my head and tears dripped onto my boots. If I'd been holding my sword, maybe Jake would still be alive. The most costly stupid mistake of my life—Jake's life.
