vaulted off the floor and flipped on the lights above the vanity. Ally’s face squinted in the sudden brightness. I leaned forward, trying to make out the outline of my soul.
There it was!
What was Cooper talking about? I could plainly see— well, he was right, somewhat. I wasn’t as defined but I was still in there. I rested against the vanity, staring at the girl whose body I inhabited. It had only been a few days, but it felt as if I’d been human for a lot longer than that.
I stalled in the bathroom, brushing Ally’s teeth. The toothpaste didn’t mix with the chocolate cake and I scrubbed it away. I closed my eyes, thinking of the conversation with Cooper. The Jackson I’d met hadn’t seemed capable of the betrayal that Cooper described, but then again our meetings were short and the inexplicable desire to be near him seemed to be clouding my judgment. I really didn’t know him that well.
You don’t know Cooper either, a small voice inside of me argued.
But at least he wasn’t a Shadowed.
The questions that had prompted the talk of Jackson were foggy, yet the most important one came to mind.
How does Jackson know me?
The sun beat down on his exposed face as he watched her sit in the tall grass field. She liked to come out there for privacy; he felt her need to be alone. He stepped closer, tentatively. A twig snapped under his foot and she turned, her face splitting into a wide grin.
She twisted her body, facing him. “I thought you’d never come.”
Her voice rocked him as if an earthquake rumbled under his feet. I shouldn’t be here. It went against everything he was. There was something about her that he couldn’t resist; was it her beauty? Of course she was beautiful; he wanted to run his fingers through the curls that wildly danced around her head in the breeze. Was it her intellect? She was the most intelligent woman he’d ever known, and he’d lived a long time. Those were great qualities but the one that tugged at the center of his being was her passion. Her passion for everything she held dear: her family, friends, and her ideals. If he’d been born over and over again with a previous life’s knowledge he couldn’t possess the passion that she possessed in one fingertip. Her large blue eyes burned with it and, for that, he couldn’t resist taking another step forward.
“I always keep my promises,” he said, moving toward her.
She shielded her eyes with her hand, looking up at him. “Will you sit?”
He did. He’d do anything for her, and not just because he had to. He wanted to, with every fiber of his being. He watched her tilt her head toward the sun, closing her eyes. Her thick eyelashes cast a dark shadow across her face.
“I love it out here,” she mused.
Her family traveled to the country every summer to their second home, a sprawling cottage nestled into a copse of trees. The cottage looked as if it had sprung up from the ground, with its rugged stucco exterior.
He looked at her. “It is beautiful.”
She smirked and tilted her head toward him. “What is it that you needed to tell me? Not that I need an excuse to come out here.”
He’d wrestled with the fact of telling her about her sister for months. It would break her heart and possibly the passion he loved about her. Or, in the small chance that it didn’t, she’d be free to express that passion.
With me, he thought, but quickly shook that thought away. If he did this, he’d do it for her; everything was for her.
“You’re starting to worry me,” she said, her eyes now fixed on his. “Is something wrong?”
He looked toward the cottage as Gemma crossed the threshold, holding a basket filled with food. She looked around, then quickly jogged toward the woods.
Maggie’s gaze moved toward the cottage.
No, he thought. Not like this.
He reached over, touching her cheek. “Nothing is wrong,” he said, smiling.
She leaned into his touch, the heat from her body pulsing through him.
She moved closer, licking her lips. “Well, then?”
He stole a glance at the cottage, Gemma no longer in sight. He looked back at Maggie, her hand reaching toward his. The diamond on her finger glinted in the sunlight, breaking his thoughts and his contact with her.
What was he thinking? This girl was married.
To a man who didn’t deserve her, he thought.
But married, nonetheless. Even though he loved her, he had to respect that. For now, he’d have to let it go.
Just one more year, he thought. Then everything would change.
I woke with a jolt, sitting up against the half a dozen pillows strewn over the bed. Ally’s heart raced like the flapping wings of a hummingbird.
Cooper appeared at my side. “Did you have a dream?”
My eyes snapped to his. Had he seen the dream, sensed Jackson on my mind? “Yeah, it was weird.” That was the understatement of the century.
Cooper sat on the edge of the bed. “I guess since her body is still technically alive, it would still have dreams.”
More like visions, I thought. Ally had nothing to do with those images. But Jackson did. Was I somehow mixing Ally’s and my reality, creating strange dreams?
“Listen,” Cooper said, slicing through my thoughts. “I’m sorry about last night. I’d like to make it up to you.”
I arched an eyebrow. “How?”
“It’s the one on the right, don’t be afraid to push—okay, okay, stop pushing!” Cooper yelled. His hands pressed against the dashboard, his head dangerously close to the windshield.
I slammed my foot on the brake and the car skidded to a stop in the shoulder.
Cooper’s idea of a surprise was a driving lesson, since Henry had Tuesdays off and Marie was running errands. He wanted to take me somewhere, but also didn’t want to be spotted with Ally in case anyone had seen him. Hence, the lesson showcasing my terrible driving skills. I channeled Ally as much as I could but she was silent, not offering any advice for me.
Traitor.
It took me twenty minutes to pull out of the driveway, fearing any car in the distance slamming into Ally’s. He directed me across town. Thankfully the morning traffic had subdued, but I was still on high alert.
“Was the surprise
