Page 23 of Definitely Dead

“Do I?” Considering that the sun never shined there, it made sense. “I feel fine. Just a little tired.”

Lifting his own mug to his lips, Aster smirked around the rim. “Tyr been keeping you up late?”

He chuckled nervously, uncomfortable discussing the intimate details of his and Tyr’s relationship. Even if there wasn’t anything to discuss.

“I’ve just been having trouble sleeping.”

Falling asleep wasn’t the problem. Every night, he tumbled into bed and passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Then the dreams started. Vivid, disturbing, the kind that blurred the lines between fantasy and reality.

They didn’t shock him awake, but at the same time, it was as if he had never dozed off in the first place. As a result, no matter how many hours he spent in bed, he never felt rested. Some mornings, he felt more exhausted than he had before turning in for the night.

“Man, same. I swear ever since I got here, I can’t shut my brain off.” Leaning back in his chair, Aster reached into his pocket, coming back with a small vial of shimmering yellow powder. “I got this from Paris over at the apothecary.”

Sunne eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”

“Valerian root. Nothing cagey.” He stared at the vial for a moment longer before thrusting it across the table. “Here, you take it. I can get another one.”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that.” He might make a trip to the apothecary later, though, and pick up his own sleep remedy.

“You sure? This stuff works, and it’s really not a big deal.” Aster placed the small bottle down on the table in front of Sunne’s cup. “I mean, it didn’t cost me anything.”

That last part was true enough. A strange perk of being dead.

Curious against his better judgment, he took the vial and held it up to the firelight to inspect it. “How does it work?”

“Just put a pinch in some tea or something before bed.” Aster rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “I swear, you’ll sleep like a fucking baby.”

His fingers flexed around the smooth glass at the promise of a peaceful night’s sleep. Then he shook his head and placed it back on the table. In life, he had rarely taken aspirin, and he saw no reason to break that habit now with magic sparkle dust.

“Oh, hey, I heard you’re trying to start a welcome committee for new souls.”

“I’m trying, but it’s not going that great.”

He honestly hadn’t expected so much resistance to the idea. Surely the residents remembered what it had been like when they had first landed in the Underworld. As such, he had assumed they would jump at the chance to help newcomers so that they didn’t have to experience that same confusion and fear.

As he had come to find out, however, most souls had no desire to involve themselves in the matters of others. They had carved out some semblance of a life in the village, and they just wanted to be left alone to enjoy it.

“Well, sign me up. I’ll help.”

Sunne sat up a little straighter. “Really?”

“Sure.” Aster shrugged and took a long pull of his coffee. “It’s not like I have anything else to do. How can I help?”

“Honestly? I need more people.” Ideally, he would like to have at least two volunteers per shift to help ease the burden.

“I can do that. I’m pretty good at talking to people.”

Sunne turned his head to hide his smirk. The kid was good at talking. That much they could agree on. The “people” part was where things got a little dicey. Still, he’d take whatever help he could get.

“That would be great. Thank you.”

“No problem. And even if it just ends up being a sign posted on the dock, it’s still better than nothing.”

“I had the same idea.” Which only reinforced his conviction. If other people shared his sentiments, that had to mean he was on the right track. “Maybe we need both. Just in case.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Aster agreed. “We’d need the materials, though. When’s the next supply drop?”

Before he could answer, the front door swung open, and three enormous males—two of them dressed in solid black with daggers strapped to their hips—entered the diner.

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