Page 82 of Half Dead

“Claude’s been keeping him company,” Ray added.

Bless Claude. The revenant knew how to read a room.

I tiptoed into the parlor. Sure enough, Kane was seated on the sofa with Claude perched on his shoulder. The bony fingers jolted when I slid on the cushion beside them.

“Hey,” I said.

Kane immediately clasped my hand. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Told you I wouldn’t be long.” I dug into my purse. “I brought you something.” I held up a lollipop. “I know the purple ones are your favorite.”

He accepted the treat with a begrudging smile. “They are.”

“Can we talk?” I glanced at Claude. “In private.”

The revenant scrambled down from Kane’s shoulder and ran out of the room. I twisted to see the ghosts hovering in the doorway. “In private,” I repeated.

Two forms dissipated.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“No, I’m sorry I lashed out,” Kane said. “I know why you agreed to the trials and it’s ridiculous to punish you for it.”

I inched closer to him. “It’s more than that, though. I feel like you blame me for Birdie’s death.”

“You?” He blinked. “No, Lorelei. Not in the slightest. I have only myself to blame. Lucifer’s vendetta is against me, and he’s hurting those I care about as a way of twisting the knife.”

“Which is why you’re so upset with me about the trials.”

Kane rubbed his face. “I’m sure that’s part of it, yes.”

I understood. He lost someone important to him; the last thing he wanted was to lose me right on Birdie’s heels. All because he tried to bring hope to a world where none existed.

I gave voice to my thoughts. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

Bitterness lifted the corners of his mouth. “Apparently.”

I engulfed him in a warm hug. “I’m sorry.”

He squeezed my torso. “You have nothing to apologize for. Your compassion is one of the reasons I fell in love with you. It isn’t fair to hold it against you now.”

I pecked his cheek. “I’m glad to hear it because I’m going to see Goran before we’re due to meet Lucifer.” If I didn’t make it back from the second trial, I wanted the cursed prince to have the information he needed.

Kane offered a rueful smile. “I’ll swing by the club to check in and meet you at the crossroads later.”

“Deal,” I said, and pressed my lips to his to seal it.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

For many years,Bone Lake was the home of an ancient creature called a kulshedra until a recent feud between werewolves led to its death. The upside of the monster’s sad fate was that the lake was now available to less deadly creatures.

Like Goran, the vodyanoy.

Standing at the shoreline, I cupped my hands around my mouth and called, “I summon thee, monster of the lake.” It occurred to me that I could accidentally summon the wrong creature with a statement like that. I quickly amended my request. “Hey, Goran. Are you here, buddy?”

The arc of a head emerged from the depths of the water, followed by two bulbous eyes.

I waved. “Come closer. I have big news.”

---