Chapter 24

GRAYSON

Prue's naked form straddles me, her weight a welcome pressure against my hips. Her red-brown hair falls in messy waves around her face, framing those green eyes that seem to see right through me. The bourbon we've been drinking has left a flush on her cheeks, and I'm overcome with the urge to taste it on her. My eyes fall to that one little freckle there on her lip. I can't wait anymore, I want to claim it.

I reach up, my hand cupping the back of her neck, pulling her down towards me. Her breath hitches, and I can almost taste the sweetness of the honey-infused bourbon on her breath. Just as our lips are about to meet—

The slam of the front door echoes through the cabin, followed by Emmett's voice. "Grayson! Prue! Where are you?"

Prue straightens and I freeze, our eyes locked in a moment of shared panic. Shit. She slips off of me. And I groan, fucking Emmett and his impeccable timing as usual. I sit up fully and slip out of the bed reluctantly finding my clothes.

"I'll buy us some time," I whisper and head towards the door. "Get dressed and come down when you're ready."

"Ok," she whispers back her eyes wide, I note how her hands are also anxiously fidgeting with the duvet.

"Emmett!" I call out, trying to keep my sound surprised and not pissed off that he interrupted that moment between Prue and I. As I descend the stairs, I spot him pacing in the living room, his usually neat blonde hair disheveled, his clothes rumpled as if he's been wearing them for days.

"Grayson," he says, relief evident in his voice. "Where's Prue?"

"Bathroom," I lie smoothly, gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch. "She'll be down in a minute. What's going on?"

Emmett sinks onto the couch, running a hand through his hair and tugs on it. The gesture is so uncharacteristic of him that alarm bells start ringing in my head. Something's wrong.

"I found it," he says, his voice low and urgent. "The focal point where the time streams need to be repaired."

A surge of hope rises in my chest, quickly tempered by the grim expression on Emmett's face. "That's good news, isn't it?" I ask, even as dread begins to build in my stomach. That's what we needed him to do and he did it.

Emmett's light green eyes catch mine and stares me at me intently. " Fuck, It would be, if Cole hadn't found it too."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Cole. That bastard is always one step ahead of us.

"How?" I demand, my fists clenching at my sides.

"I don't know," Emmett shakes his head, his shoulders tense and he leans forward placing his elbows on his knees and holding his face. "I blocked my energy at every point, so he couldn't track me. But when I found it as I was leaving, I could sense him there."

"Ok, so he knows where the convergence is?" I question. Not understanding the blind panic because we knew he would try to find it, but as much as he may want to, he doesn't have the power to fracture the time streams any more than they already are.

"We need Prue." Emmett ignores me and looks towards the steps for her. And if summoned by his will alone, I hear Prue's footsteps on the stairs. She enters the room, her hair hastily pulled back. If Emmett notices anything off, he doesn't show it.

"Emmett," she says and a smile breaks out across her face, she moves over to him and pulls him up into a hug. He sinks into it, squeezing her tightly, and the site drives me up the fucking wall. I shove the anger-no let's not lie to myself-the jealousy down and try to pull them back to the present moment.

"Emmett found the spot," I say through clenched teeth and they pull apart but Emmett hasn't let go of her and he pulls her down next to him on the couch.

"That's great!" she exclaims, repeating my earlier sentiments. "Isn't it?" she poses the question towards Emmett. He slowly shakes his head.

"Cole knows where it is too," he pauses, "but that isn't the only problem," he turns and angles his body completely towards Prue. "If you are going to repair the time streams you have to do it tonight."

Prue inhales sharply, and I lean forward wanting to reach towards her.

"Why?" she asks him, and her voice is one octave higher than it should be.

"We are out of time," Emmett explains trying to keep his voice even. "When I tapped into the energy there, it was coalescing into one new form, if you don't separate it, the time streams will merge and there will be mass destruction and no hope of reversing the damage to Grayson's world."

Emmett lets his words sit there with us for a minute or two. We were out of time. I glance at Prue, she was ready to do this but suddenly, I wasn't. What was going on with me? This was the whole point of us being here together.

"We need to go. Tonight. Now." Emmett says breaking the tension but simultaneously worsening it.

I watch as the color drains from Prue's face, her green eyes widening with fear. But then, she looks at me and holds my gaze and I can see something shift. Her jaw sets, her shoulders straighten, and the fear that was there melts away.

"Then let's go," she says, her voice steady and sure.