Free My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) by Dorothy Dreyer Page B

His hand was gentle, careful not to put too much pressure on my scar. He always knew just how to touch me. I breathed him in deeply and told myself to relax.
    “How do you want to do this?” he asked, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. Seeing my shock, he laughed. “I mean, what should I do if you get up in the middle of the night?”
    The tight muscles in my face slowly loosened. “Stop me, I guess.”
    “How did Naomi do it?”
    “She didn’t, at first.” I shifted, propping my cheek up on my hand so I could face him. “I was already down the block by the time she and Mara got to me.”
    Though he looked right at me, I could tell by his searching eyes that the gears spun in his mind. “You don’t know where you were headed?”
    “No. But I guess they would have found out if I had gotten any farther.”
    “Hmm.”
    “What?”
    “What if I didn’t wake you right away? What if I follow you to see where you end up?”
    I bit my lip, considering his proposal.
    Obviously seeing my apprehension, he took my cheek in his palm. “I wouldn’t let you get hurt or anything. But if we don’t have any leads as to where you might be pulled to when you’re under a Reaper spell—or whatever it’s called—then following you might clue us in.”
    The breath I drew was long and slow. How far would I have to go under a trance until we figured out where I was going? And what unimaginable things might I do while under that trance? Then again, what other choice did we have? The more I thought about it, Gavin’s suggestion made a lot of sense.
    “I suppose you’re right.” I let my head fall back to his shoulder. “And as long as you make sure nothing bad happens, then following me could help enormously.”
    “I’d get Mara, of course.”
    “I know. I trust you’ll do everything right.”
    We smiled demurely at each other. I was glad we had a plan, but it still terrified me that I might wander in my sleep under the Reaper’s control. Gavin’s presence comforted me, but at the same time, part of me was concerned for his safety.
    “Zadie,” he said. “Not that I’m not happy with your outfit—because, believe me, I so am—but if there’s a chance you’ll head outside in the middle of the night, you might want to put something warmer on. Like sweatpants. And socks.”
    It was a relief to laugh a little. “Okay. You’ve got a point.”
    Reluctant to leave his side, I squeezed him greedily before pushing myself off the bed. I felt his eyes on me as I went over to my dresser and pulled on a pair of jogging pants. With a bit of searching, I even found a pair of socks that had little nubs on the soles to keep me from slipping on slick surfaces. Not that slipping was the worst of my worries. Checking my reflection quickly in the mirror, I told myself everything would be fine.
    Back under the covers, I curled into him, my head nestled on his shoulder. “Thanks for taking care of me.”
    He lifted my chin and kissed me tenderly. “Goodnight.”
    I closed my eyes and breathed him in, letting his scent envelope me and the sound of his breathing lull me to sleep.
     
    ***
     
    “Zadie!”
    The first thing I felt was a biting wind rush by my face. Then my shoulder hit the sidewalk and the air was knocked out of me. A car horn blasted as the vehicle—a mere foot away from me—raced past into the night. Gavin grunted, sprawled out on the ground beside me.
    “What happened?” I rolled to my side and propped myself up to face Gavin. I squeezed a hand over my scar, willing the stinging sensation to stop.
    “You were sleepwalking.” He gasped as he tried to catch his breath. “It was really freaky. You just got up out of bed, eyes open and everything, and walked out of your room without looking at me. You didn’t even answer me when I asked you where you were going.”
    I shuddered, picturing the scenario. “And then?”
    He stood and held out his hand to help me up. “You headed down the stairs, and I heard the