NIKO’S FADE AWAY THREE POINTER went in with a swoosh. Nothing but net. An NBA Finals quality shot. All the girls squealed his name as he jogged backward to the opposite side of the court. The cheerleaders in the crowd executed high kicks and clapped their pom-covered hands.
Desmond had the ball, scanning the court and its players. He pointed at his teammates while dribbling, signaling a full court press.
Niko bent his knees and spread his arms wide. He’d never understood the appeal of basketball until he found himself good at it. He spat a jeer at Desmond, who flipped him off. But, before Niko could do anything about the coming offense, a glide of red hair by the gym’s open doors rooted him to the hard court. Arianne had come into his line of sight briefly, but that second of seeing her electrified him.
Like a head-on collision, Desmond slammed into Niko. But instead of Niko falling over, Desmond bounced back and hit the court hard. The crowd gasped, sucking in all the air in the gym.
Coach Simmons—a beefy man with no neck—blew his whistle until he was red. “Clark! What the hell’s wrong with you? Head in the game, boy!”
Niko approached a winded Desmond and extended his hand. “I apologize.”
Desmond shook his head as if he had water in his ears and took Niko’s offered help. He used the momentum of Niko’s pull to jump to his feet. He shook out the last of the impact like a dog drying itself and slapped Niko’s shoulder. “You owe me a slice of pizza,” he said.
“I owe you the whole pie. Your choice of toppings.” Niko grabbed the top of Desmond’s head like a basketball.
The two laughed.
“Clark! Vic!” Coach hollered. “Bleachers, now! Miller! Anderson! Step in.”
Without arguing to stay in the game, Niko and Desmond sat side by side.
A busty brunette handed them towels. “Good game, boys,” she said in a breathy voice, displaying her God-given gifts.
“Thanks, Cindy.” Desmond winked at her before she swished her hips away. He dried his face and head then settled back with his elbows on the second row behind them.
Niko covered his head with his towel in an imitation of a cowl and leaned forward, arms on knees, hands clasped together. “Really, I apologize,” he said. “I should have been paying attention.”
The girls cheered again. The game had resumed.
“Why’d you freeze, anyway?” Desmond asked.
“I got distracted.”
“You? Distracted? Dude, when you’re on the court, you’re lethal. What could have…?” His voice trailed off. “Let me guess, Arianne Wilson?”
Niko glanced at his friend over his shoulder. “How’d you know?”
His smile had more teeth in it than it should have. “Ari has free period right now. She usually spends it in the library instead of study hall. The gym is en route to the library. Am I getting close?”
“All right Sherlock, you win.”
Desmond hooted. “Oh! Oh! Is that frustration I hear? Oh, boy, you got it bad.” He slapped Niko between his shoulder blades hard. “You poor SOB. Should I hand you the gun now or later?”
Niko faked a cough then asked, “You think so?”
“All I’m saying is: you’d better be careful. If Darla finds out—”
“Why should Darla care if I like Arianne or not?”
“And there’s the confirmation, ladies and gentlemen.”
“Des, be serious.”
His friend wiped a hand over his face. “I’m not supposed to say, but bros before woes, so I’ll tell you. If she finds out you heard it from me—”
“She won’t.”
“My pretty ass is on the line. Let’s just get that clear before I say any more.”
Niko growled.
Desmond threw up his hands. “Okay, okay. Chill.” He opened a bottle of Gatorade and drank like there was no tomorrow. He didn’t speak until he screwed the cap back on. “I understand why you don’t know this because you’re you, but Darla’s been head over heels for you since day one, man.”
“She’s what?” Niko’s eyes widened.
“Basically, she’s been signing your name and hers with hearts from the moment you transferred in. Why do you think no one else has made a move on you?”
“Okay, now I feel cheap.”
“Dude, no joke. If Darla finds out you like Ari, who knows what she’ll do?”
Desmond’s grim expression worried Niko. “She wouldn’t.”
“Do you remember Christy Tanner?”
Niko shook his head.
“Exactly.” Desmond ran a hand through his tight curls. “That girl was bullied out of this school just because she decided to stand up to Darla. Most of Blackwood thinks the pep squad owns the school. But Darla owns the squad. And if you have the squad scared…”
“You have the school scared,” Niko finished for him. He didn’t care about what Darla could do, but he understood that she wouldn’t be taking it out on him. He shrugged. “Not that Arianne likes me back,” he said as ineffectually as he could.
“How do you know?”
Niko thought of the toast and how uncomfortable Arianne had been when he hinted at being more than just friends. “She seemed unaffected by our kiss.”
“Whoa! Hold on a sec.” Desmond held onto Niko’s shoulder and pulled until Niko had to twist around and face him. “Are you telling me you kissed Arianne Wilson?”
“Actually, she kissed me.”
“When did this happen?”
“That’s not important—”
“I didn’t think I’d ever say this to you, but dude, you’ve got game.” Desmond beamed like a proud father. “My boy’s growing up.”
Niko’s smirk lasted for about a second. “But I don’t understand. I thought she liked the kiss. She completely shut down on me when I hinted at being more than friends.”
“I take it back. You don’t got game.” Desmond clucked. “Niko, Niko, Niko.” The question mark must have shown on the other boy’s face because Desmond continued, “Ladies need a little romancing before you ask for more from them. You need to ask her out, show her a good time.”
Niko opened his mouth to respond, but Coach’s obnoxious whistle didn’t allow him to. Desmond hopped off the bench and strode to the lockers, announcing his need for a shower and removing his shirt for the benefit of the female population.
Gaze plastered to the floor, Niko entered his bedroom after his soul reaping, still thinking of ways to ask Arianne out. He’d first thought of asking her during chemistry the next day, but the memory of what happened to Tammy’s mother might decrease his chances of getting her to say yes. Her sudden shutdown after their kiss continued to worry him. She’d changed the topic so fast that if they weren’t in the In Between, he would have thought she’d run away.
Niko shed his shirt without noticing the figure stretched out on her side across his bed. He’d unbuttoned his jeans before a soft purring interrupted his distraction. He faced his bed and froze, forgetting about being half-dressed.
Janika licked her lips and grazed her eyes over Niko’s chest and stomach, following the light dusting of hair that began at his navel, leading like a path all the way to Wonderland. “Please, don’t stop on my account,” she said.
Niko regarded her with disdain, but he made no move to fix his current state of undress. “What are you doing here, Janika?”
“I can feel the love already.” She caressed the satin sheets with an open palm. “How are you dealing with being babysat?”
“You too?”
Janika lay on her back, propped up by her elbows. She raised a knee and swiveled it from side to side. “The master gave me Travis,” she moaned. “What a bore. Nothing I do gets under his skin. He’s worse than Tomas.”
Laughter had Niko doubled over.
“It’s not funny!” Janika sat up. “Really, Nikolas! Must you continue to antagonize me?”
Niko laughed so hard, he ended up on the floor. His mirth reached a point where he couldn’t breathe.
“That’s right, suffocate!”
“I—” He gulped in greedily. “I’ve—” A new fit of chuckles rolled over him.
“Well, spit it out!” Janika snapped. Her peroxide ringlets quivered.
Niko breathed in deep, held it for a moment, and then exhaled the rest of his humor. “I never thought I’d get away with what I did so easily. You must have offended the master greatly.”
“I call it favoritism! Leaving you under the care of Tomas. It’s unfair. That old Reaper loves you; everyone knows that.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Yes.” Janika looked away.
Surprise had both of Niko’s eyebrows curving upward. “Really?”
The Reaper of New York stuck her tongue out at him.
“Mature, Janika, very mature.” Niko stood. “What did you do that made the master put you under Travis’s care?”
Janika moved from the bed to the bay window. “I threatened him.”
Goose bumps rose on Niko’s forearms. “With what?”
She stabbed him with a stare. “To kill all the younger Reapers.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“You should see your face right now.” She vanished and reappeared directly in front of him. She ran her hand down his cheek and stopped when she reached his chest. “We could be something. You and I.”
Niko’s muscles prepared for battle.
“I never had anyone challenge me before.” She planted a kiss on his chin. “I find that so sexy.”
“Janika.”
“Hmm?”
“Now I know why the master gave Travis the responsibility of your care.” Niko grabbed her wandering hand before it reached places he didn’t care for her to touch.
“Enlighten me.”
His lips lingered just above hers without them really touching. “You forget…the Reaper of Texas is the most debauched among us. Whatever you can do, he’s done tenfold.” Niko pushed Janika into the figure that materialized behind her.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Travis drawled, taking hold of Janika’s arms with his massive hands. “Now, darlin’, what do we have here? Being naughty, I presume? I like naughty.”
“Screw you!” Janika spat, trying and failing to free herself.
“Sorry for the intrusion, Nikolas.” Travis tipped his head at the Reaper of Georgia.
“You came just in time.” Niko returned the gesture. Then he tipped Janika’s chin up with his index finger so he could meet her belligerent glare with a menacing one of his own. “It was nice seeing you again, Janika.”
She snapped her teeth at him like an alligator. Niko yanked his hand away just in time.
“I always like ’em rough.” Travis strengthened his grip and disappeared with Janika as she cursed a blue streak.
Though autumn hadn’t officially called Georgia home, a fire danced in Niko’s ornate fireplace. He liked keeping the temperature in his bedroom frigid so he could enjoy the shadows a fire brought into a room. He sat cross-legged on his plaid upholstered reading chair, leafing through the pages of A Man of Peace in a World of War, a biography of Kofi Annan. He found the fascination for the man relaxing since it reminded him of Arianne blurting out a quote that saved his life.
“Boy, do I feel popular today,” Niko said. He snapped the book shut and it disappeared. A chair, matching his own, appeared opposite from where he sat. “Might as well sit down while you’re here.”
Tomas strode out of the shadows, removing his suit jacket as he went. He draped it over the chair’s back before settling into its cushions. Niko snapped and a small table with a snifter of the finest brandy materialized by Tomas’s left. His mentor picked up the glass and swirled its contents before taking a sip. He closed his eyes and sighed as the amber liquid made its way down his throat.
“You always know what I like,” Tomas said.
“Only the best for you.” Niko sat back and studied the flames. “I’m assuming you’re here because of the little incident with Janika this afternoon.”
“Travis has that handled. She’s unpredictable at the best of times.” Tomas returned the snifter to the table and mimicked Niko’s pose. “You’re still alive, so I assume she didn’t do any lasting damage.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Nikolas…”
“Get on with it.” He removed his gaze from the blaze to level it at Tomas. The golden light played over the planes of his face. “You’ve never been one to mince words with me.”
Tomas folded his arms. “Tell me about the girl, then.”
His treacherous eyebrows, a part of his anatomy he’d always been hard-pressed to control, rose. “I won’t even get a chance to play ignorant, will I?”
The older Reaper shook his head from left to right slowly. “You already mentioned her earlier. And you know you can never hide anything from me for long.”
“Oh?”
“Well, almost anything.” The lines at the sides of Tomas’s lips deepened. “I must apologize for not seeing your condition sooner. I would have helped if I’d been more observant of you. But knowing that you are all grown, and that you know what it means to be a Reaper, I assumed you’d be careful. I assume many things.”
Niko didn’t acknowledge the concern he found on the face of his mentor. He preferred to leave his lapse into depression behind him for better, sweeter things. “Have you ever been in love, Tomas?”
Regaining his composure, Tomas unfolded his arms and had them resting at his sides. “Yes. With each lifetime, I’m fortunate to find someone to share my life with. You’ve seen my wives.”
“And you loved all of them?”
Tomas nodded. “Every time I am reborn, I find that women are different. And each of my wives were perfect representatives of her time. Our master may not have given us the ability to have children, but he certainly allows us to build a family.”
Considering his next words, Niko said, “But none of them stood out? Like someone you believe you’d be in love with no matter how many times you’re reborn.”
Taking a large gulp of his brandy at the time, Tomas coughed. “Gracious, no,” he replied when his windpipes permitted. “Are you saying what you feel for this girl is something like that?”
“I don’t know.” Niko rested his chin in an open palm. “This is the first time I’ve ever felt anything for anyone. And what I feel for her frightens me. It’s only been a few days and I already find myself never wanting to part with her. Is that even normal?”
“First loves are always very potent.” A sage air floated around Tomas. “It’s the time when you are impulsive. You want everything and anything you can get from this person. You think that it is forever. Sometimes it is, but more often than not, it’s a fleeting fancy. Then you move on to your next love. You’re inexperienced with these things, Nikolas. Believe me, I was like that once. A naïve pup that lusted for anything I could get my hands on.”
“I don’t think my feelings for Arianne have something to do with lust. I certainly crave her like the sweetest strawberries, but it’s not only her body that I want. When we kissed—”
“You’ve already kissed?” Tomas leaned forward. “Kids these days really do move fast.”
Niko recalled his earlier conversation with Desmond. “She kissed me.”
“With the way you look, I wouldn’t be surprised. All Reapers are blessed with good looks.”
“Let’s not sully the moment with gutter talk, please, Tomas.” His defensive tone surprised them both.
Tomas broke their stunned silence first. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“And why is that?”
“Like I said, she is your first love. Let it run its course.” Tomas stood and shrugged on his jacket. “Enjoy yourself with her. Live your life the way humans do. I’m happy that you found someone you can be with. Took you long enough.”
“Why do I have a feeling you’ve been taking bets on me?” Niko grimaced in disgust.
“Because we have. And I just won the pool.” His mentor grinned like the Cheshire Cat. “Just remember that your responsibilities come first.”