Ascension by Bailey Bradford (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

The deer surprised him, darting out in front of Ro and standing still, all big eyes and fear. “Fuck!” Ro jerked the wheel, knowing even as he did so that it was the wrong thing to do when he’d been doing seventy. The truck swerved and tires squealed, and the last thing Ro remembered thinking was that he hoped his stupidity didn’t kill his father.

Chapter Six

That tugging Conner had felt earlier was nothing like the force that slammed into him later that night. He and Stefan were at a club, observing the living because his brilliant idea was a dud, when all of the sudden, his world seemed to implode. Conner’s vision dimmed and Ro’s face flashed through his mind. Not the happy Ro or the moodier one of late, but a terrified, screaming one that had Conner shooting back to McKinton in a flash.

“What’s wrong?” Stefan hollered, but Conner waved him off. Stefan would be all right. He knew how to come and go just like Conner did and, as Stefan had said, no one was going to hurt him now. That there were some evil spirits as well as good ones was something he couldn’t think about right now, not when he was certain something very bad was happening to Ro.

If it was that fucking bastard from the alley, Conner would tear him apart and fuck the consequences. Conner let himself be drawn to Ro, following the sound of his voice as it was carried across the planes of the living and the dead.

What he found made his gut twist with dread. A truck that looked very much like Ro’s was crashed into a tree, the front and cab of the truck folded like an accordion from the impact.

Conner could see Ro. All the years he’d been dead, Conner hadn’t experienced anything like he did then. Nausea welled up and he heaved even as he forced himself to move closer. Ro’s eyes were open, and at first he thought he was too late. He howled with a grief he couldn’t contain, that wasn’t reasonable if he was to keep believing he felt nothing for Ro.

“Now you show up.”

Quietly panted, the words tore through Conner’s agony. He stopped mid-yell and blinked, looking into Ro’s eyes. Could Ro see him?

“I can see you,” Ro whispered brokenly. He swallowed, throat clicking and his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I can see you, and you’re just as handsome as always.” Ro coughed, and blood frothed up around his lips. “Loved you for so long,” Ro said, then his eyes dulled and his chest heaved for one rattling exhalation.

“No.” Conner patted Ro’s chest, fear driving him to will his hands to feel. “No, you can’t die, kid. You can’t!” Blood, he had blood on his hands. Ro had no pulse, no life. “No! Ro, not like this! God damn it, it’ll kill Sev and your dad—”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose.”

“Fuck!” Conner shrieked, whirling around to find himself looking at a very sexy spirit. “Aw, hell. Ro…” Conner shook his head, torn between being sad for those Ro had left behind and relieved that Ro was there with him then.

“You’re crying for me?” Ro asked, reaching out and touching him.

Conner shivered at that, feeling Ro’s fingers brush over his cheek. “Why wouldn’t I, Ro? You’re young, you had your whole life ahead of you.”

Ro cocked his head to one side and flipped back his long hair. He gave Conner a contemplative stare.

Conner found it hard to return that look, afraid that Ro would see right through him. Something selfish and awful was brewing inside him, and Conner didn’t like it. He was sorry Ro was dead, but he was glad he would be able to maybe have a chance with him now. Did that make him an awful spirit?

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop. It looks painful.”

Conner scowled at Ro. “I’m thinking I’m a selfish bastard, because while I’m sorry you’re dead, and sorry it’s going to hurt so many people you left behind, now I can finally do this.” Conner reached for Ro, fisting his hand in that silky black hair. Ro’s eyes were about the size of saucers as Conner pulled him right up flush to him. Ro’s lips parted either in surprise or invitation. Conner decided to think it was the latter as he slanted his mouth over Ro’s.

Fire. Fire and honey. That was what Ro tasted like, hot and velvety and sweet. Conner groaned and licked into Ro’s mouth, tasting him over and over again as he kept one hand in Ro’s hair and the other on one slender hip. Ro tasted like ambrosia and every other perfect thing in existence, quenching a thirst Conner hadn’t known was consuming him until then.

Ro’s hands seemed to burn against him where they rested on Conner’s shoulders. Conner pulled Ro closer, the fear and loss he’d felt smothering under lust and need. He canted Ro’s head for a better angle and tasted every bit of Ro’s mouth, memorizing the texture and the sounds Ro made. Had Conner ever had a lover make such hungry noises before? He didn’t think so.

Ro hitched a leg up around Conner’s hip, bringing their groins together. Heat, instantaneous and radiant, flared through him. Even with his eyes closed, Conner saw swathes of red and blue—

“Dude!”

Conner jerked back from the kiss but he didn’t release Ro as he slitted his eyes open enough to glare at Stefan. “What?” he rasped.

“Lights,” Ro said at the same time that Stefan pointed and started babbling.

“Sheriff—oh my God, Rogelio?”

Conner turned and saw that there was indeed a sheriff’s car zooming up the road. He hoped to God it wasn’t Laine, and it shouldn’t have been because Laine had the day shift and his deputies took the night.

“Fuck,” he muttered, watching as Laine’s familiar form shot out of the vehicle. “Aw, no. No, Laine, no…”

“What did I do?” Ro whispered. “I shouldn’t have swerved, shouldn’t have let JD do what he did.