Page 53 of Shadow & Stars
A tirade of thoughts hit like a storm, all about Roman. Past Me tapped into them, probably unwillingly, drowning in my memories. Saw our intimacy, the blossoming of our relationship, our first meeting. He watched himself fall for the witch, shared my longing to tell him those three special words, enraptured by Roman’s amber gaze.
My everything.
My future.
“No!” Past Xavier bellowed, breaking the connection.
I found myself back at June Gold’s front door, panting.
“Unexpected,” I muttered, catching my breath.
Did this change things? Was the past version of me about to catch up to my future self and betray Ismael?
My temples pulsed, my guts squirming. Everything was so muddled, so riddled with confusion. Who knew what would happen next. Past Xavier may be galvanized to resist Roman instead, our joining adding more hate to his well.
Regaining my composure, I rang the doorbell.
16
ROMAN
Jaz dodged the bullet, the woman letting out a string of expletives.
“Who the fuck are you?” she yelled at me, pumping the shotgun.
“I—”
She didn’t wait for my answer, pulling the trigger again.
Thank God for being incorporeal. I’d have felt that in the morning.
“Why ask a question if you don’t wait for the answer?” I spat.
Her mouth drooped in surprise, giving Jaz the opportunity to scarper down the garden.
The woman frowned. “You’re not real?”
“Bingo.”
“Ghost?”
I went with it, highlighting the dagger in my chest. “Poor me, right?”
“Looks painful.” Her stare hardened. “Did Jaz kill you?”
Footsteps echoed in the alleyway beyond the broken gate. “Penny?”
That voice belonged to the shouty guy wanting Jaz’s head on a spike or whatever. The warlock in question had already left the garden.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I said, jogging down the wet grass.
“Wait!” Penny called. “Was it Jaz?”
I ignored her, running through the tall fence at the end into another garden. Jaz was already climbing over a gate into an alley on the opposite side. I picked up speed, the voices of Penny and that guy popping off behind me. They both seemed as fun as being buried alive.
I caught up to Jaz in a parallel street, the guy running east with some serious haste.
For fuck’s sake. My energy levels were desperately low here. I couldn’t keep on running without a proper recharge. And why was I even chasing him? Because he knew Darcy? Because our paths crossing was too much of a coincidence?
