Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers) by Michelle Rowen Page B

to steal.
    But I still hated this mall. I usually shopped at the one on
the north side of the city. Took longer to get there, but at least the floors
weren’t tiled with my shame.
    Past Macy’s and a lineup of other stores that at one time would
have been calling my name were the escalators up to the fourth floor. I wasn’t a
fan of the elevators due to my claustrophobia. I didn’t even like wearing
turtlenecks.
    At the moment, I didn’t need any more anxiety than I already
had.
    The railing curved in a circle around the open center of the
fourth floor and looked down into the main floor food court a hundred feet
below. A massive chandelier of crystal birds hung from the glass ceiling, a
piece by some artist that had cost a ton of money when the mall opened twenty
years ago. When the sun from the skylights hit it just right—it was magic.
    I gripped the railing and gazed down nervously at the food
court. Despite my big breakfast, my stomach grumbled. Sundays were a busy day at
the mall. There were thousands of people here, and I swear I sensed the press,
the heat and the scent of every one of their souls.
    I couldn’t stay here for very long. Already, I felt the need to
escape.
    “You’re here.”
    Stephen’s voice bit through my concentration and I tensed,
turning slowly to see him leaning against the railing six feet to my left.
    This was real. He was here. I’d finally found him.
    Or, rather, he’d found me.
    Stay calm.
    But that was a losing proposition. I couldn’t be calm around
Stephen Keyes.
    A very short time ago I thought he was the hottest guy I’d ever
seen, in Trinity or anywhere else. Black hair, cinnamon-colored eyes with a
slight exotic slant to them thanks to his Hawaiian-born mother.
    Stephen only dated the most beautiful girls. I never expected
to be one of them. I preferred to admire him from afar and keep my heart safe
from being trampled on. But...then he kissed me. And he’d hurt more than just my
heart.
    For a fleeting moment, I’d honestly thought the boy I’d always
had a crush on had been into me. Instead, he’d been on assignment for my aunt to
remove my soul and free my nexus abilities so they could be used for her
gain.
    I had no interest in someone like Stephen who would lie to me,
use me and steal something so valuable from me. And I never would again. While
Bishop had sworn to help me, and I did believe he meant it despite my many
doubts and questions about him, the only person I completely trusted was the one
I saw in the mirror.
    My grip on the railing tightened painfully as a group of teens
moved past, way too close, the scent of their souls brushing into my orbit of
hunger.
    “So here we are,” Stephen said.
    “That’s close enough,” I said when he got four feet away.
    He stopped. “I’m not planning to hurt you. I’m not the one who
carries around a sharp golden dagger, remember?”
    “No, you’re the one who helped my aunt nearly kill me.”
    “I don’t think she would have killed you.” There were dark
shadows under his eyes, which made it look as if he hadn’t slept in days. I’d
noticed the same circles under my eyes this morning, thanks to my
nightmare-induced tossing and turning. “Besides, she’s gone.”
    A stomach-churning image of the Hollow grabbing hold of my aunt
after Carly had stabbed her with Bishop’s dagger flashed through my mind. “Are
you upset about that?”
    He gave me a grim look. “No.”
    I didn’t want to take my attention off him in case he
disappeared in a puff of smoke. This is what I’d wanted. I’d searched the city
for him for a week and now he was standing right in front of me. “I don’t want
to talk about my aunt, Stephen. I’m here for one reason and one reason
only.”
    “Your soul.”
    “And Carly’s. Give them back to me.”
    He looked down at the food court, his jaw tight. “Look at all
of them. It’s hard to believe they have no idea what’s happening in Trinity
right now. Right in front of their