Page 86 of My Karmic Destiny

“I suppose being possessed and exorcizing a goddess takes a lot out of someone,” I joke.

“And almost drowning,” he reminds me. “You scared the fuck out of me. We almost didn’t find you in time.”

“Howdidyou find me?” I ask as he leads me down to the community bathroom to freshen up.

“We heard your prayers or thoughts… whatever you want to call them.” He blushes and pulls me into a side hug. “Thank you, by the way. It meant so much to know when you thought all was lost, that you were thinking of me—thanking me for giving you something special in our short time together.”

Turning him to face me, I capture him in a tight hug. “I’m so happy we have more time to explore all we are to each other.”

“Me too.” He presses his lips to my forehead, and I nearly crumble into a softhearted mess with the sweetness of his gesture.

Thankfully, no one is in the bathroom when we enter.

Kurtis draws me into the huge shower area, lathers up a loofa, and softly washes every inch of me.

I luxuriate over his gentle attention, such a contrast to his usual ways. But why can’t he be soft too? I suppose we’re so fast to judge and label people in our lives.

We want others to fit into tiny boxes. We often want to make them small.

But if my time as a reaper has taught me anything, it’s that we are more than just this body of flesh and the stories we accumulate. Our personal histories and pasts are just one fragment of who we really are. Each person is a powerful being,beyond what they can imagine. We are divine sparks inhabiting walking miracles called human bodies.

We brush it off because life seems so abundant since we experience so much of it on Earth. But life is rare in the universe. Precious.

And a human’s life is fleeting in the context of the universe. We’re born, and in a blink of an eye, we’re dropping our mortal coil.

With that in mind, I don’t want to waste any more time labeling or judging. I want to enjoy every second I can with the people I care for.

I want to give and receive this massive amount of love I have in my heart.

Love—that was just waiting for the right souls to come along.

“Hey, sweetheart. Where did you go?” Kurtis whispers.

“Oh, just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

He gives me a sexy smirk, turns off the water, and helps to dry me off. I don’t think I’ve ever been spoiled quite like this. Not even when I was a kid by my mother.

We swing by my room, and I pick out a skirt and a cute blouse. I’m not sure what the guys have in store for me today, but I want to be prepared. Kurtis nods his approval at my choice in outfits before we head downstairs to the kitchen.

The room is dark, which is odd. It’s the one room in the house that’s always lit up. Instead of worrying about that or putting out my psychic feelers, I’m distracted by Kurtis tickling my side.

As I step past the threshold, the lights come on and several people shout, “Surprise!”

“Shit!” I stumble back into Kurtis’s muscular arms, and he laughs.

Dante rushes forward, holding my hand. “You okay?” he asks. When I nod, he gives me a sheepish look. “Sorry. We figured you would sense what was happening and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”

“I didn’t try to pick anything up since I didn’t want to spoil anything you prepared,” I explain, then glance around to see who’s here. The other Karma agents and a few of the Death agents give me either a little wave or a nod hello. Original Karma has joined us as well.

Karma steps closer. “Congratulations, Tessa. Thank you for removing Instant from her destructive path.”

Irritation rubs at me. Why couldn’t she have handled her poor imitation of a goddess?

She must read my mind and answers, “It had to be you to remove her. My powers are not for taking on other gods. But I did send my support to help you, even the scales of karmic justice.”

Hmm. I believe I felt her power boosting me during my psychic battle against Instant.

“Will Hypnos’s trap hold her?” Evan asks as he comes to stand next to me.

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