Page 44 of Mayhem

“Here master, I brought your queen,” the dead girl says sinisterly.?

“You did good little one, now, off you go.” I know that voice. What the fuck is going on??

“Are you ready to come with me, Sweetbottom?” The man stands from the chair, faces me and I stumble as I back up. No, no, no. No, I don’t want to go.?

“I told you they aren’t meant for you. You belong to me. Now come,” he commands. I spin and run except the room has changed and I’m in a hallway, running with no way out. The hall is so long, and I can’t find a door to let myself free. No, no, no. I keep hearing all their voices taunting me. The hallway keeps getting longer. D’mitri’s laugh echoes through the hall, getting closer to me by the second. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” I scream.

?“Come back Sweetbottom. Or I’ll come get you and wreck that ass all over again,” he laughs.?

“Fuck you!” I yell. The sinister laugh gets closer. I can almost smell the rancid odor of death, like he’s breathing down my neck.

“Ready or not here I come,”?he whispers.

I jolt awake screaming. Warm arms wrap around me causing another scream from my throat.

“Jade, Jade, it’s okay. It’s okay Babygirl. I’ve got you,” Spade whispers in my ear as I sob.?

“Jesus Christ, these fucking dreams. He keeps pulling me to him and it’s getting worse, so much worse.” I turn in his arms, wrapping my body around him. I can’t seem to get close enough. He holds me tightly, rubbing slow circles on my back.?

“The nightmares suck, but I’m here and I won’t let you go through them alone. You hear me, baby?” He lifts my chin to look into his steel-gray eyes and wipes the tears from my cheeks, placing a tender kiss on my lips. I sigh, taking a deep breath, inhaling his scent. I love feeling his naked chest against mine. Skin against skin.?It somehow calms me.

“Are you ready for today?” I ask. After the whole thing with Dario, Spade came back to the house in a complete mess. I made a call to Flynn to let him know what was going on, and he flew us out to Ireland to give Harper a proper wake. An Irish Wake. We got in late last night and I’m not sure if the nightmares are getting worse because of what today is going to feel like, or what.?

“I’m not sure. I’ve never been to Ireland alone and unarmed. It makes me feel very uneasy, but O’Patrick has the utmost respect for you and if you trust him, then I can, too.” Spade says, pulling me closer to him. He takes a deep breath, kissing my forehead.

“Do you know what a traditional Irish Wake entails?” I whisper, kissing his chest. He turns towards me and lifts my thigh higher around his hips and lays his tattooed hand on my ass.?

“I don’t. Can you tell me what to expect?” he asks, lifting my chin, kissing me softly. Before I can deepen the kiss, there’s a knock at the door. It opens slowly and a young woman walks in,

“Sorry, Ma’am, but it’s time to pick out the aingeal beag’s dress for the wake.” She says softly.?

“Oh, you don’t need to call me ma’am. My name is Jade. It’s really nice to meet you. I’ll get dressed. Where would you like me to meet you after?” I ask.

“Forgive me Jade, I’m Rois. You can meet me in the washroom down the hall to the left.” She states and turns, leaving the room and softly shutting the door. I turn to Spade, kissing him on the cheek.

“It’s time for me to go prepare aingeal beag. That means I have to bathe her and dress her in a beautiful dress, place her in the middle of a room, and surround her with candles and wrap a shroud decorated with flowers around her.” I drop my head as I explain to Spade. It’s surreal to think about doing this for such a small soul.?

“That’s heavy baby. I wish I could do this with you.” He sighs.?

“Thank you, I appreciate that, but I’ll meet you in the room when she’s ready. I just need you to be present and dressed in a suit. Just a heads up, you will be required to smoke a tobacco stuffed pipe throughout the day to keep the evil spirits away from her body. There will also be lots of drinking, and people we do not know will come to pay their respects. We will stick together once the wake starts.” He nods. I give him a kiss and climb out of the bed. Heading for the closet, I see a black full-length dress hanging next to the suit for Spade. I look over my shoulder and see him looking at my ass. I raise a brow at him, and he rolls his eyes.

“Your suit is hanging up. I’m unsure how long I will be, but I’ll send someone for you when it’s time. Please check in with Jamie.” I wink, sliding the dress on and zipping it up on the side.

“Well dang, you ruined my show. You should have bent down and slid your heels on first so I could see that sexy little pussy.” He smirks. I shake my head. Slipping the black heels on.

“You are insatiable, Babyboy.” I blow him a kiss and turn to leave the room.?

Walking down the hallway, I take a deep breath once I reach the door to the washroom. You can do this Jade. I turn the knob and slowly open it. There are a few women surrounding a clawfoot tub, pouring what appears to be holy water into it. I enter the room and quietly close the door behind me. They have covered all the mirrors with black veils so that the spirit of the deceased isn’t trapped inside, and all the windows will be left open so her spirit can leave. I go over to the tub and see Harper’s naked little body lying at the bottom as the women pour holy water over her. My heart stops, my chest tightens, and I feel like I can’t breathe. I want to climb in there with her and hold her until she takes a breath and opens her big blue eyes as I listen to her sweet angelic voice speak to me in Gaelic. God damn it, we couldn’t protect her. I just want to scream. Fuck! One woman nudges my arm and hands me a soft sponge. I slowly kneel onto the floor and reach into the tub, soaking it. I start to cleanse her feet, and as I do, the women pray in Gaelic. After I’m done with her left foot, I soak the sponge again and start on her right foot. She’s so cold and gray. I wash each one of her little toes and can’t help the tears that pour from my eyes. She didn’t deserve this. She was too young to die. I work my way up her tiny body, carefully washing away the sins so her spirit can go to heaven clean, innocent and unharmed. Gently, I scrub each finger, wishing I could hold her small little hand again. I promised her I would paint her nails yellow. It was her favorite color. Soaking the sponge again, I leave her sweet face for last. I run the sponge over her chubby cheeks, her forehead, and down her nose. Once I’m finished, the women stop their prayers and go to remove her from the tub. First, they wrap their arms with towels, so they don’t touch her skin and place her on the table in the middle of the room. It’s lined with white lace and a white thick fleece blanket. Placing her on the table, they dry her off. I’m handed an all-white, knee length, silk dress. Because I am seen as the closest to Harper in life, I’m the only one who can touch her skin without tainting her. Slowly I slide little white panties on her, followed by her dress. Next, I’m handed white socks with frills around the ankle and white Mary Jane shoes. I put them on her delicate little feet and step away. One woman brushes her hair and gives me hair ties. I separate her hair down the middle and give her two pigtails, curling them with my fingers. Tears stream from my eyes. This beautiful little girl is gone, gone forever. I can’t stop myself as I start humming; You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

The bathing part is complete. They wheel Harper into the elevator and go downstairs for the wake to start. We just need to cover her with the decorated shroud and surround her body with candles. For the next six hours, those that attend the wake must touch her, lay a flower on the table and all the men are expected to take a puff of the tobacco stuffed pipes that will be lying next to her.

I head downstairs with the other women and help with the last details. I enter the room where the wake is being held. There is an enormous window that is open to the view of the ocean. It’s breathtaking. You can smell the salt in the air. There are chairs littered around the room. Tables are set up with food and drinks. The front door is open wide for anyone to enter. I step up to where my little baby is lying so peacefully and cover her with the decorated shroud. I reach for the candle and start lighting them one by one, setting them all around her. A throat clears behind me, and I turn to look and see that it’s Flynn. He walks over to me and immediately pulls me to his chest.?

“Tá brón orm a leanbh, they will pay for this,” he says. I look up at him and nod.?

“They will, even if that means a war.” Flynn nods and lets me go as Spade enters the room. He quickly spots me and comes to my side, and nods to Flynn, shaking his hand, and we both walk over to Harper.?

“You ok baby?” he asks, wrapping his arm around my waist.?

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