Page 76 of Till Death

“Cole?” I pushed. “What’s the matter? Why aren’t you saying anything?” I pressed my lips to his again, and murmured against his skin, “Talk to me, please. Say something.”

The man in my arms kissed his way along my neck until his touch became feather light. Lighter still, and then nonexistent. His body faded away into nothingness.

I grabbed at the emptiness in front of me and my hands passed through open air.

A trick.

I grabbed desperately at the open air again, although it did no good.

Every sweet sensation I’d cultivated in the past few seconds disappeared, replaced by a ball of fury unlike anything I’d felt before. Cole being here was nothing but a dirty trick, or a lie, or something equally horrible.

“You assholes!” I choked out. “How dare you?”

I wanted to hurt something.

I wanted to kick and scream and disembowel. Anything to transfer the pain inside of me to something physical and get it out of me.

“Come back! You have to come back to me. Cole!” Spinning around in circles, I searched for some sign that he’d ever been here and came up with a fat load of nothing. I was alone.

Raging did nothing except turn my throat dry. After everything I’d done—everything I’d been told to do and everything I sacrificed, did I not deserve a break? Did I not deserve to have the person I loved here with me?

I hoped he was okay. Distantly, I hoped every person I’d loved and left behind was okay, but the Void absorbed my screams and took them away.

How was I supposed to go on when the only thing I wanted had been stolen? Dangled in front of my face like a tease and yanked just beyond my reach.

“What else?” I lifted my gaze to the hazy sky overhead and yelled until my chest constricted. “What else do I have to do? I just want Cole. Please. I want to know everything I did worked and my family is safe. I want a fucking answer!”

A strangled cry erupted from inside of me and I slapped my hand down on the healed space on my stomach where Bertha had driven clear through me.

What else did I need to do? How else did I prove myself of being worthy of, fuck, just being happy and together with the person I loved?

I’d bled enough. I’d suffered enough.

Rather than thanking whoever was looking out for me, that my consciousness existed and I had awareness after death, I cursed the universe at large. No one was getting another thanks out of me. Never again. My throat tightened further, holding back all the terrible things I wanted to say.

“You’ve done a great deal. I understand your pain.” A familiar male voice sounded from the left, only this time, I wasn’t surprised. “It can be a little hard to grasp in the first few moments after death. In reality, you’re doing rather well there, too.”

I turned slowly to find Hank staring at me. He wore the facade of an old man with long hair and a scraggly beard. Dirty, curious. Hobo chic.

“You’ve got some explaining to do,” I started, pointing my finger in his direction. “And you can start with the little stunt you just pulled on me.”

I wanted to punch the smile right off his face, knock every one of those yellow-stained teeth from his mouth.

“Jade, I under—”

“And if you try to tell me you understand one more time I’m going to have to hurt you.” It was a promise.

Hank pursed his lips at me and I gave him credit. He did not look as put out as I would have wished. He’d always been kind to me. Confusing as hell and a pain in my ass, but kind. Right now, none of those things mattered.

“You’re a little confused. I understand,” he replied with a short chuckle, testing my patience once again. “But you’re here and it’s for a reason. You did wonderfully.” He drew his hands together in a slow clap. “I really am proud of you. You knew exactly what it took to restore the balance and you followed through. Your sacrifice was not for nothing.”

I held my arms out to my sides to emphasize the infinite nothingness of the space around us. The one with no real name. “Are you trying to make me jump through another hoop? I thought I’d earned a little happily-ever-after the hard way. Instead, I’m back in the Void with only you for company, and I can’t say I’m thrilled.”

“You deserve all the happiness in the world. You fixed the balance. All the demons on Earth are now stuck there, and they are being taken care of by your friends. You won.”

Then why didn’t I feel any better?

I nodded slowly along with his words, although I tensed at the mention of demons. I mean…good to know I’d made the right choice. It would have sucked to give up my life and divinity for nothing. “My friends. They’re okay?” I asked.

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