Page 68 of Possession

So eager to be rid of me?

Embarrassed, I quickly steer my thoughts away from romance. You’re the one who’s overeager.

Sure.

Henry gives me a reassuring smile. “Well, it’ll be simple for you, at least. I’m going to put you to sleep with a spell. When you wake, he won’t be with you anymore.”

“I understand.” I reply, the words ringing in my head.

He won’t be with you anymore.

“Do you two want a moment alone?” Henry asks.

My brows furrow, then lower when I start to frown. A moment alone… that’s right. To say good-bye.

Aris won’t tell me where he’s going or what happens next, just that he’ll be gone and I’ll be on my own. I might never see or hear from him again. The thought briefly overwhelms me. I’m not quite sad, but something similar. It’s just strange to be so intertwined with someone, only to lose them so suddenly.

I’ve lost touch with people before. My own parents practically disowned me, and a long time ago I accepted that I’ll probably never see them again. It was hard, but it didn’t kill me.

In the times when I miss them, I’m able to imagine them at home. Their routine is always the same, even on the weekends. I used to look at the clock outside of our cell, read the time, and picture what my parents were doing. That made it feel like they weren’t really gone. Just… away.

But Aris is really leaving. I won’t be able to picture where he is; I won’t know anything. He’ll just be gone.

Maybe we aren’t friends, but I don’t know what else to call him. A reluctant ally? The devil on my shoulder? Whatever he is, he’s all I’ve had. I’m allowed to mourn that, aren’t I?

Or am I like those girls who fall in love with their kidnappers? What is it, Stockholm Syndrome? After all, after everything he’s done, how could I see him as anything other than a parasite? Why is there a sense of… symbiosis?

Something must be wrong with me.

No, it’s just that this is happening so fast. I need time to process it. If I’d had time, I’d be ecstatic.

But as it stands…

I feel weak and stupid when I turn to Henry and nod. “Can we have a few minutes alone?”

“Of course,” he says. Henry’s eyes shoot to Ryan in the corner as he leaves, but the watchdog doesn’t move.

“Entirely alone,” I say tightly. “As in, the room should be empty.”

Finally, the giant lumbers over, his bulk blocking the sun as he moves. He hesitates for a moment beside me. It would strain my neck to look at his face, but I sense his gaze on Henry, waiting for the other man to leave first.

Henry gives me a smile before striding to the door, not even flinching as Ryan follows behind him, which takes guts. Though I guess they’ve spent a lot of time together by now.

I don’t watch them leave, but I hear the door to the living room close before I walk to the fireplace, sticking my hands out for warmth. The logs are nearly burned through, so I place another on the top, trying not to mess anything up. When the blackened logs don’t immediately collapse, I relax and take a seat, leaning closer to the flames.

The fireplace reminds me a bit of my first meeting with Silva, and I have to admit that it’s been nice here. More welcoming, certainly. I’ll miss it, and I wonder what will be next for me.

I sigh. Neither of us are talking, which is almost worse than arguing. It’s so quiet. From now on, it will always be quiet.

Are you sure it’ll work? Henry won’t turn me into a frog or anything? It’s a bad joke, but I need to break the ice.

It will work.

And we will go our separate ways. Live separate lives.

Are you nervous? I ask.

He hesitates, surprised by the question. Why would I be nervous?

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