Page 18 of Having the Time of My Midlife

“I concur,” Heather said. “Cecily, as random as this advice might seem, stay positive. Don’t let your mind go to any dark depths.”

She nodded her agreement. “Next. Is it possible to die in a dream state?”

“Excellent question,” the Grim Reaper said. “And the answer is no. You can be killed but you won’t die. Although, that means anything you kill in the dream state isn’t dead either. Keep that in mind. If you kill an enemy there, you will have to end your enemy multiple times.”

“Am I going to have to kill shit there? Will there be things on the Higher Power’s plane that want me dead?” Cecily asked.

“Up to you,” Candy Vargo explained. “It’s your fuckin’ dream state, Badass.”

“Got it. Another question, how do I get back from the dream state?”

“Click your heels three times,” Candy suggested.

Heather zapped her. Candy zapped her back.

As I watched, I remembered thinking that Cecily didn’t need the two Immortals going after each other, not when so much was at stake. So, I’d put myself between them and had given them a withering look that made both of them blanch.

“Do not make me have to put either of you in time out,” on-screen me warned, eyeing them steadily. “You will not enjoy it.”

“Sorry,” Heather said, pulling Candy back to her feet. “Knee-jerk reaction to Candy being an idiot.”

The Keeper of Fate chuckled. “Might be an idiot, but that’s how I got back.”

“Seriously?” Cecily asked. “Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz?”

Candy nodded.

“Mom? Gideon?” Cecily asked. “What about you guys?”

“For me, it wasn’t conscious,” Lilith admitted. “My body came back to this plane when the time was right.”

Gideon pressed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I certainly hope this doesn’t apply to you, Bitch Goddess Cecily, but I came back once I’d slayed the monster.”

“Fuck,” she muttered and then was silent for a long moment. Clearly Pandora was speaking again. “Pandora said that while I can’t die in the dream state, I could get stuck there.”

Lilith nodded slowly. “I’ve always understood that to be true. It’s the reason I’ve only gone to the plane of the Higher Power a few times in my millions of years.”

Cecily wasn’t done. “Is there a time limit? A tangible one of how long I can stay without getting trapped there?”

Gideon answered. “Not as far as I’m aware. However, get out as quickly as you can. Time runs differently on different planes.”

“Well, that’s certainly a neat trick,” a familiar voice said from behind us.

I whipped around and was shocked that none of us had noticed their entrance. That didn’t bode well for us being on top of our game. The Bitch Goddess Cecily had arrived. As expected, she was accompanied by Abaddon. What wasn’t expected and wasn’t welcome was the third person in the group.

Gideon growled. The sound came from deep in his throat and made goosebumps pop up on my arms. Charlie wasn’t pleased either, and his power began to fill the room. I took short, shallow breaths so I didn’t pass out. Giving my friend a pained glance, he nodded in apology and tamped back the magic. Tim walked across the room and placed himself next to me. Gram and Mr. Jackson joined Tim.

Only Candy Vargo seemed unsurprised by Pandora’s presence.

“Why is that disgusting waste of humanity here?” Gideon demanded in a tone so vicious everyone grew even more tense.

Cecily stepped in front of Pandora with a calm expression on her stunning face. “She’s changed.”

“Bullshit,” Gideon hissed as his eyes glowed bright red in fury. “With all due respect, you’ve been the Goddess of the Darkness for a month, Cecily. You have no concept of the vileness of the woman standing next to you.” His gaze landed on Pandora. If looks could kill she would have been dead.

Pandora moved out from behind Cecily and met Gideon’s menacing scowl. “I don’t blame you for your hatred, Grim Reaper,” she said in a flat tone. “And to be honest, while I might have changed a bit, I’m still the horrific person I’ve always been deep down. However, if you want to deal with the Higher Power, I’m the one to help.”

“I’d rather chew glass and swallow it than accept help from someone like you,” Gideon shot back. His eyes were now shooting sparks, and I prepared for his ebony black wings to explode from his back.

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