Page 74 of Revenant

It’s only when a spirit enters the afterlife that the ties to their body are severed and it dies.

Ignoring her, I head toward the last bed, not feeling the least bit guilty that I’m leaving her to rot, not when she tried to kill me. She can figure out how to save herself.

The last occupant is a woman in her late thirties. She looks innocent, almost angelic, not a line or blemish marring her face.Her light brown hair is perfectly groomed, like she just went to bed and never bothered to get back up, perfectly frozen in time.

Hershamn doesn’t seem like the type of guy to waste time on meaningless gestures. Whoever she is, she’s someone special to him. “Who is she?”

Torris and Mabel fall silent, then wander over and glance down at the bed. Mabel is the one who speaks.I don’t know. She’s been here from the start. I’ve never seen her awake.

The closer I get to the bed, the more the hairs on my arms rise in alarm. Her spirit is still trapped inside her flesh, the malevolent energy enough to turn the air toxic, and I hastily back away. “Let’s get you back in your body and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.”

Mabel grins, and I blink when she flashes her sharp, pointy little teeth. She acts so innocent, so different from her sister, that I forgot she is dangerous. Maybe if I was smart, I would leave, but she has the same golden glow about her as her twin. If she were truly bad, her aura would be a putrid green or pitch black.

I refuse to be like the guards or the servants in my father’s house.

I can’t turn my back on those in trouble.

If I leave, she and her sister will die in this place.

I follow the others back to the bed, Torris and Mabel waiting on the opposite side with hopeful expressions. Needing time to wrap my mind around what they want done, I glance at Torris. “Have you decided what you want to do?”

He very purposefully doesn’t look at his body.I’m going to stay and help Mabel get out.

Shadows fill his eyes, rage thickening the air around him, stinging my skin like a swarm of mosquitoes feasting. I understand vengeance, even craving it myself. After what the doctor did to him, I can’t blame him. Unfortunately, if his anger is allowed to fester, he could turn malevolent.

I worry that I rescued him from his tormented existence a little too late.

Pain can twist even the strongest mind. I was lucky. My torture happened when I was young enough that my body was able to adapt by learning to ignore any pain sensors. For a grown man, it would be mind shattering.

Mabel shifts, casually brushing her arm against his, and the contact is enough to steady him. The tiny specks of darkness swirling around his aura slowly blink out of existence. A small glow spreads from the contact, a warm yellow and soft pink. That’s when I realize that they are in love, and my heart breaks a little more.

It’s okay, Mabel says to me, her smile heartbreaking as she links her fingers with his.We knew we didn’t have a future together, but we weren’t able to help ourselves.

She’s alive.Torris leans down and kisses the top of her head.That’s all that matters.

I glance between the two of them, sadness weighing me down. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Absolutely, Torris answers for her, his face hardening with determination.She must live.

I don’t miss the implied threat—he will kill anyone who becomes an obstacle.

“Are you ready?” I glance between the two of them. “Or would you like a moment to say goodbye?”

We have already said our goodbyes long before today, Mabel says in a soft voice, then straightens her spine.

We made sure to say hello and goodbye every morning and evening…just in case.Torris gazes down at Mabel tenderly, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, and kisses her forehead. When he glances back at me, his expression hardens.Please do it now before anyone can interrupt.

“Right,” I mutter, glancing back at the door behind me like it could be kicked open at any moment. And once again, I’m reminded how much I despise bullies like Hershamn. The time for stalling is gone. If I can yank a soul out of a body, I should be able to put one back in one, right?

Both ghosts watch me, Mabel with infinite patience and trust, while Torris is barely able to contain his worry, probably already realizing I have no clue what I’m doing.

And I tell them that, tacking on my own warning. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee this will work.”

I trust you, Mabel says, then slips her hand around the crook of Torris’ elbow, resting her head against his shoulder as she snuggles close.

Torris gazes down at her, his expression softening, and he doesn’t look up at me when he speaks.We trust you. Save her. Please.

I’m left with no other option than to do as I promised. A hint of an idea percolates at the back of my mind, and I decide to trust my gut. “Okay, I want you to lie down in your body.”

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