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I rolled my eyes, but my face heated anyway. “Just tell me what we’re walking into here.”
The suburban woods parted away, and we were suddenly pulling into a lot that overlooked the lake beyond. The surface of the water glittered with the reflecting sunlight. I couldn’t deny the flicker of excitement that sparked inside me. The tires rumbled over the rough lot as Alek parked his car in the sand. By the looks of it, plenty of people had already arrived. Dozens of cars—all almost as nice as Alek’s—packed tightly into the lot.
“This is our family’s lake house,” Alek explained. “It’s a casual get-together that happens every year. Nothing you need to worry about.”
I considered his words. “If I don’t need to worry, why were you so freaked out when your father suggested I come?”
Alek put the car in park and shut off the engine. “I know I seem very reserved and responsible,” he started. I choked back a laugh. “But the others don’t exactly follow in my footsteps. Every year, someone starts trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Alek sighed. “Do you know anything about the veil?” he asked without looking at me.
My blood ran cold. “You mean, the veil to hell?” I tried to stay calm. Why would he be asking me about the veil?
My mother had explained the veil to me years ago. For humans, death was simple. You die and you end up in one of two places. For everyone else, however, things happened a little differently. My mother explained to me that our type—the ones that weren’t human—crossed over through the veil. The veil was simply an enchanted force that separated us from the others that resided in hell. It created a special afterlife for gods, goddesses, demons, whomever else they may be.
The veil, similarly to human deaths, led to either the good place or the bad place. Most gods and goddesses ended up in the good place. The demons, however…
“Yes, that veil.”’
“I know the basics. Why?”
Alek’s eyes met mine. “Some spirits can be summoned from the other side of the veil.”
I waited for him to explain more, but he stared at me and waited for a reaction. “You’re kidding,” I stated.
“Not in the slightest. Every year, on this day, the veil is the weakest. And every year, some idiot attempts to summon a spirit.”
I blinked. “Why would they do that?”
“There are many different reasons,” Alek explained. “To speak to a loved one who has passed, to talk to old friends, to discuss business.”
“Business?” I grimaced.
Alek pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened his car door. “If we’re lucky, none of that will happen tonight. If you see anything weird, come find me.”
“Got it,” I said, stepping out of the car. “Avoid demonic summonings. Should be easy enough.”
We began walking to the lake house. I could hear a few women laughing as they danced and plenty of men’s voices. It was going to be an eventful night, indeed.
“And remember,” Alek whispered as he put his arm around my shoulders, “you’re with me tonight.”
Heat swarmed my stomach. I know it was a simple gesture to him; he merely wanted us to be seen as a couple in front of everyone.
This was all part of the plan. This was our deal.
Still, my body ignited everywhere his skin touched mine.
I tried not to think about how close our bodies were as we approached the massive beach house. If I thought their first home was nice, this was a beach home straight out of a movie.
A massive white wrap-around porch greeted us. Zac stood on it, waving at us as we walked closer. “Alek, Lyra,” he greeted. “Nice of you to join us!”
Alek laughed. “Did we have a choice?”
“Life’s more fun when we pretend we do,” Zac joked.
Alek’s arm fell off my shoulder as we walked through the open glass doorway of the house. Unlike his family’s home, the lake house was bright and spacious. White furniture littered the airy rooms, and the entire environment seemed to connect and flow with the beach energy outside. From where we stood, we could see the kitchen, the living room, and out the glass doors to the sandy beachfront behind the house.
