I cleared my throat and willed my legs to move, sliding slowly from the booth. “Yeah, sure.” Once I was on my feet, he grasped my arm and towed me away from the table to a dark corner in the back of the room. “Maddox, what the hell has gotten into you?”

  “Who was that?”

  I wrenched my arm free and took a steadying breath. “Who was who?”

  “Very funny.” A sinister smile slithered across his face. “The guy, Ava. Who was the guy? How do you know him?”

  “He’s just a guy from school. He helped me up after I got caught in the wash from your jump the other day. I didn’t even know his name until just now.”

  “You looked awfully chummy from where I was standing.” He shoved his hand into his hair, making a mess of the artful disarray.

  I laughed. “Chummy? Are you serious? He asked me to dance. I said no. That’s all there was to it.”

  “Well, I didn’t like it.”

  “Clearly.” Something about him seemed off. I stepped toward him on wobbly legs and gazed into his eyes, as if I might see something looking back that would explain his behavior. I’d been fooled by the brothers before. Had I been fooled again? Was he really—

  He blew out a breath and pulled away, horrified. “Jesus, I’m not Laith.”

  “I-I know that.” I crossed my arms as a chill rolled through me.

  “But you were checking to make sure, weren’t you?”

  I rested my hand on my stomach to steady the churning. “Let’s go back to the table before Sam sends out a search party.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was tell him I’d doubted him. Hell, the last thing I wanted to feel was doubt. But over the past several days, Maddox had not been himself. It had me wondering if something had happened when we made that jump from Chicago. I didn’t understand enough about the time travel thing to know how it worked. Maybe the jumps affected him more than even he realized.

  “I’m not Laith,” he said once again. This time his tone had softened. He looked almost apologetic. “I’m nothing like him.”

  I wasn’t sure about that at all. The more I got to know them, the more I noticed both the differences and the similarities between them.

  “We can talk about it later, okay? Let’s go salvage the evening. Let’s have a little fun. Things have been way too tense for far too many days.”

  He nodded, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “You’re right. I’m just wound up. Maybe a night of dancing is exactly what I need.” He held out his hand, and I took it, letting him weave our fingers together as we walked back to the table.

  From across the way, I could see that Hannah and Abercrombie had found our group, and Paige had finally arrived. I recognized her long, silky black hair as it cascaded over her shoulder. She was huddled deep in conversation with her mystery guy, but the way they had their heads together made it impossible to tell what he looked like, especially from behind.

  “What’s going on over there?” Maddox whispered in my ear.

  It took me an instant to figure out what he meant. Then I saw it.

  All the color had drained from Sam’s face. Even Hannah and Abercrombie looked uncomfortable. Hannah fidgeted with her hair while Abercrombie—for once without his trademark hoodie—bounced his leg up and down, making the entire table shake. In fact, everyone but Paige and her date looked like they’d just witnessed a vampire attack at the next table.

  “Are you kidding me?” Maddox choked out the words as he came to a screeching halt steps from the group.

  Everything happened in slow motion like a scene from the movies. Paige stopped laughing and turned to face us just as the rest of the group gasped. Her date turned, and my stomach dropped to my toes.

  “Laith.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  My breath caught in my throat, his name still tingling on my lips. Seeing him again made my heart race. I swear I could feel my blood pumping faster through my veins, and I wanted to slap myself for letting him get to me that way. Stupid soul connection and its power over me.

  “What are you doing here, brother?” Maddox vibrated with anger beside me, but he played it off well, pretending to be merely surprised instead of horrified.

  “Oh, don’t sound so happy to see me.” Laith beamed, clearly delighted with himself.

  “Wait. So…” Hannah’s eyes darted so fast between Laith and Maddox I worried they might roll right out of her head.

  The color flooded back to Sam’s cheeks. “So you guys are what? Twins? How did I not know Maddox had a twin?” She gave me a look that said we’d be talking about this later. Apparently, I’d broken the friend code by keeping Laith a secret.

  “No shit, man. Why keep it a secret? Unless… have you guys been swapping back and forth this whole time?” Abercrombie asked Laith the million-dollar question, and I scrambled to come up with an answer in case neither of my soul mates did.

  As if he’d heard the gears turning in my head, Laith shot me a quick grin before turning back to Abercrombie with his watered-down version of the truth. “Nah, we just aren’t that close. Our parents split up when we were young. We each went to live with one. So even though we’re brothers, we didn’t grow up together.”

  “You mean like in The Parent Trap?” Sam asked, and everyone laughed. Everyone but me. And Maddox. Maddox seethed quietly beside me. His fingers bit into mine, he held my hand so tight.

  “So how did you and Laith meet?” I directed my question to Paige, who sat uncharacteristically silent beside her date.

  Paige gave me an icy smirk and slid her arm around Laith’s shoulders. “It’s really funny actually. We met at Will Clark’s party. We only spoke for a few minutes. I thought he was Maddox at first. Then we ran into each other Thursday afternoon at Bullfrogs. I guess it was fate.” She leaned over and kissed him, and my blood pressure shot through the roof.

  Fate? What did Paige know about fate? And why did Laith let her put her bitchy lips all over his? More importantly, why did I care if she kissed him? Maddox glanced at me and frowned as if he could read the fury in my eyes. The night had been a total disaster—first Ethan and then Laith. I was afraid to ask what more could go wrong.

  “Let’s go dance.” Paige tugged Laith out of the booth, and he went willingly, following her across the room to the dance floor like a lovesick teenager.

  He glanced my way a few times, but he was clearly interested in whatever Paige had to offer. I should have been glad. I should have thanked my lucky stars that someone had distracted Laith from his pursuit of me. But instead, resentment bubbled right below the surface, waiting to explode in a jealous rage.

  The evening fizzled out just before midnight. Between Maddox’s mood swings and my unexplainable bouts of jealousy, we were miserable. And as they say, misery loves company.

  By the time we left, Hannah and Abercrombie had mysteriously disappeared, Sam and Ryan weren’t speaking to each other after Ryan’s ex-girlfriend showed up in a sheer dress that left her practically naked, and Paige had all but mounted Laith in the booth, making everyone but the two of them uncomfortable.

  Sam dropped us off at twelve-thirty, and after the night I’d had, I was only too eager to spend a few quiet minutes alone with Maddox.

  “Walk with me?” Maddox reached out his hand, and I took it, letting him pull me to his side. “Next time Sam suggests a group date—”

  “Trust me; there won’t be a next time.”

  He exhaled loudly. “Thank God.”

  I giggled, cuddling into his embrace as we strolled aimlessly down the sidewalk. “I’m sorry I let Laith get to me. He’s such a jerk. I hate that I feel so drawn toward him. When he’s around, I can’t seem to help feeling the pull. It’s so confusing.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “It’s not your fault. He did it on purpose. Trying to let us know he can get to us no matter where we are.”

  “Why? What purpose does it serve? I’m not going to break up with you for him. So why does he keep trying?”

  The pained look on Maddox’s face told me all I needed to hear. “He’s not going to stop because he can’t. And honestly, if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn’t be able to stop either. Your soul binds you to us. We can’t escape it.”

  “So it’s going to be like this forever?”

  He stopped walking and turned to gaze down at me. The spark was gone from his eyes. “As far as I know, there’s only one way to sever the soul bond.”

  Death. He didn’t say the word, but I felt it in the air around us like smoke, choking the life out of me.

  “Don’t think about that right now, okay? For the rest of tonight, let’s pretend we’re two normal college students out on a normal date.”

  “Normal, huh?”

  The light was back in his eyes, and he grinned.

  “Hey, isn’t this your house?” I looked up at the stone steps leading to his front door.

  “I thought maybe you’d like to come in. So we can spend some time alone.”

  Alone. I let the word sink in for a moment then nodded. An awkward silence hung between us, making my face go up in flames, though I had no idea why. I’d been alone with Maddox before, but stepping into his personal space—his home—left me feeling exposed.

  “Come on.” Maddox led me up the steps and had the front door open before I even realized he’d pulled out his keys. He took my hand again and towed me through the dark rooms until we reached his bedroom. Soft candlelight flickered from every solid surface.

  “When did you do this?” My cheeks burned with the knowledge that he’d planned this from the beginning, or at least from before we’d set out on our walk. I had no idea how he’d managed to light candles while we were out.

  And apparently, he wasn’t giving up his secret. “Normal, remember?”

  The nervous energy coursing through me reminded me that, deep down, I was just an ordinary girl on a date. Sure, I carried a witch’s curse on my shoulders, and I had two soul mates, but aside from that, I was just a typical nineteen-year-old girl, madly in love with her boyfriend and his covert romantic gestures.

  Maddox watched me curiously as I walked around his room, inspecting the little trinkets he had sitting out on his dresser and bedside table: a small collection of jagged blue stones, a few pieces of jewelry that could have belonged to his mother, an antique pocket watch, and a small gold cross. “See anything you like?”

  A smile was my only response as I sat at the foot of the large four-poster bed. Dark wood framed the crisp white sheets topped with two fluffy pillows and a heavy wool blanket. No decorative comforter. No frilly accent pillows. The bed itself was ornate, but the bedding just looked comfortable. I ran my hand over the expensive linen bedding, and Maddox groaned.

  He crossed the room and stopped in front of me. “If I don’t kiss you, I’m going to die.”

  “Then kiss me.”

  Pulling me to my feet, he surged in, winding his hands around me as his mouth closed over mine. I felt the desperation as his lips captured and claimed. His hands held me close, never wandering below my waist, but his fingers dug into my flesh as if he feared I’d disappear if he let go.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer. With our chests pressed together, I felt every breath, every beat of his heart.

  “I want you so much.” He moaned into my mouth.

  “I want you too.” I let him nudge me to the mattress until I was lying under him. Every inch of him pressed down on me as he kissed me, pausing just long enough to nip my bottom lip with his teeth, insistent but never pushing. Almost restrained. Unlike the reckless abandon of kissing Laith. Having Laith’s hands on me. I’d come so close to shattering in those same hands.

  Where had that come from?

  I thought I’d pushed that memory from my brain. I had no business thinking of Laith, especially after what he’d done. And yet the kiss—and everything else—we’d shared against the wall at the party kept flooding back into the forefront of my mind.

  Maddox propped himself up on one hand while his other hand skated down my side, stopping at my hip before sliding over my ribs then under my shirt. “Are you okay?”

  “Mmhmm.” I sucked in a breath as he traced the skin just below my bra with his finger.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered, bringing his lips to run a path from my chin down my throat.

  “Yes.” I grabbed the front of Maddox’s black shirt and yanked, sending the buttons scattering to the floor. I needed to feel the heat of his skin against mine. I needed—no—I was desperate to shed the images of Laith crowding my thoughts.

  “I love you, Ava.” Maddox’s voice was frantic—out of control—though his actions seemed controlled—almost too controlled—as if he was forcing himself to go slow when that was the exact opposite of what he wanted. “God, I want you so much.”

  “I love you, too. And I want…” I couldn’t even finish the thought. Saying it out loud seemed wrong when I couldn’t get his brother out of my head. What the hell am I doing? “Wait.” The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

  He stopped kissing me. “Wait?”

  I shoved against his chest lightly and lifted my eyes to his. “Yes. Please. For just a minute.”

  He rolled to the side, propping himself on his elbow to study my expression. “I’m waiting.”

  “I can’t do this. I-I’m not ready for…” For what? To choose between them? I wasn’t sure exactly.

  He frowned but didn’t interrupt.

  “I want to.” I kissed him quickly to make my point. “I just don’t want my first time—our first time to be overshadowed by—”

  “Laith.” He grimaced as he voiced what I couldn’t.

  “Hear me out, okay?”

  He nodded.

  “You’ve lived with this—” I struggled to find the right words “—curse, for longer than I’ve been alive. But I’ve barely had any time to make sense of it all. And I know you don’t want to hear about my bond with your brother, but I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Tonight was intense. There were a lot of emotions flying around even before Laith got there. I’d like to—no, I need to wait.” His lips parted as if he might say something, so I cut him off. “Not forever. Just for a little while longer.”

  “I understand.” Maddox nodded and gave me a smile, but I could tell it took a lot of effort on his part. He could pretend all he wanted; I knew my rejection hurt. That wasn’t my intention, but it was necessary. I couldn’t sleep with Maddox when I hadn’t resolved my feelings for Laith.

  He sat up and fixed his chaotic hair. “You want me to walk you home now?”

  “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea. If I stay, I might change my mind.” I let him take my hand and help me from the bed before leading me back through his darkened house.

  The cool night air helped chill my overactive hormones. By the time Maddox kissed me goodnight at my front door, the slow burn I’d felt while in his bed had nearly faded into a memory.

  Even though I’d made it home well before my curfew, I crept up the stairs, careful not to step on the creaky floorboards. As I passed Josh’s room, I saw the light under his door and heard what sounded like him talking to someone. I told myself I wasn’t being a creeper, just a concerned sister, when I pressed my ear to the door.

  Josh cackled like an evil genius. “I can’t wait until Ava gets home.”

  I pushed the door open, claiming self-defense in my head. He’d mentioned my name in what sounded like some sort of plot.

  “Hey! Get out of my room.” He kept his voice low but still managed to inject menace into the tone.

  I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms. “Give it up, peanut. I heard you planning something in here. Now who are you talking to? And what do you have up your sleeve?”

  “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He giggled again then flinched as a chime sounded from his back pocket.

  “What was that?”

  “Why do you care?”

  I batted my eyelashes and gave him my sweetest smile. “Because you’re my brother, and I care about you.”

  “Bullshit. You’re in a pissy mood because your date sucked.”

  “What makes you think my date sucked?”

  “I-I can just tell. You look mad.”

  “I’m not mad. Yet. But if you give me a minute, I think I might be. What are you hiding behind your back?”

  “I told you, it’s nothing. It’s mine.”

  “Uh huh.” I walked over to his game system and checked the messages on his PlayStation account. “Not chatting with some of your little idiot friends?”

  He laughed as he snatched the controller out of my hands. “No. I’m not.”

  “Okay, I’m going to bed. Try to keep it down in here so you don’t wake Mom.”

  “Whatever.” He closed the door behind me, laughing again as soon as I was safely on the other side.

  Then I heard the chime again, this time coming from my pocket. I pulled out my phone to find a message from Maddox.

  Maddox: Already miss you. Sleep well.

  I looked from the message to Josh’s door. The little shit had a cell phone in there. I shoved his door open again, this time catching him in the act of sending a text. “Where did you get that phone? Mom said you couldn’t have one until you’re thirteen.”

  “She changed her mind.” He fumbled with the device, trying to shove it into his pocket before I reached him.

  “Not so fast there, kiddo.” I grabbed his wrist with one hand and the phone in the other then backed away quickly to scroll through his message log. “What do we have here?”