Page 6 of Jacinth

Jacinth

“It’s beautiful!”I marveled as I looked around at the shiny mirrors, the plush white carpet that I really wanted to lie down and make snow angels in, and the shoes! Heels, flats, boots, laces, straps, leather. I was fairly sure I had died and gone to heaven.

Wait... that was hilarious. As I shared my inner monologue with my less funny half, it was clear her patience with my jokes had not improved with my temporary return to the land of the living.

"Ohhhh..." A voice came from behind me.

I turned, grinning as Ruby walked into the store from where she must have been busy out back. The angel’s dark hair fell around her shoulders as she strode in on her feet, rather than flying. She wore a dress covered in Pokemon balls, with four-inch red platform shoes that were to die for.

"Surprise!" The delivery was weak as it registered that the angel may actually keel over in shock. Could you shock an angel to death? Ghouls and goblins, I really did think about death too much.

"Did I..." Ruby asked tremulously as her forefinger stretched out and almost caught me in the eye. "Did I accidentally give you a miracle? I don't have any strikes left. I don't know what the rules are about resurrection." The angel wrung her hands frantically and her eyes darted around overhead, like she was expecting lightning to strike her down.

"Breathe." I led her to the nearest chair and eased her off her feet. "You had nothing to do with this. I'm just here for the shoes. It was a crazy dude... smoking hot, by the way. Like, seriously scorching. Why are all the good ones crazy or dead? Really hot brother, too. Like I'm alive for one day and I would not say no to a little three-way action. Get what I'm sayin'? I mean I've never—"

"Holy crap, Jace, get to the point! And P.S. never, ever mention your sexual ventures—real or fantasy—where I can hear them again, ok?" Birdie was such a prude.

"Anyway, hot guy—who I will not elaborate on the hotness or sex-worthiness of—gave me this really shiny necklace. See? Watch how it catches the light."

"Jace!"

"Sorry. Anyway, yeah. I put it on and here I am. Able to drink coffee and everything."

Ruby nodded slowly, like she couldn't quite believe this wasn't her screw up.

"You're golden. All on me, I promise. Now!" I clapped my hands, mostly because that's what people do in movies when they want to change the subject and make people do what they want them to. "I need shoes."

I resolutely ignored the groan of my sister, who had lectured me most of the way here about how you could not take material possessions to the grave. Well, duh. That's exactly why I want them today.

I eventually decided on a beautiful, expensive pair of flats. Seems walking isn't like riding a bike, and I had almost fallen on my face a number of times already.

“You’re amazing!” I called to Ruby in an intentionally loud, obnoxious voice.

This was so much fun. It was hard to get a rise out of Birdie when we hung out in the cemetery. Too many reminders that I wouldn’t be going home with her. But here? Now? Like old times.

Birdie launched into a lecture almost as soon as the door to the shopfront closed behind us. I wasn’t listening. The crazy man from the cemetery was stalking down the sidewalk toward us like he was on a mission.

Wow, he was even hotter than the last time I saw him. I mean, now he was sans snot and tears. My imagination went wild until I realized he was heading straight for me. Now would be a good time for me to pull my ghosting act. Damn, my word play was strong, even when I was nervous. My moment of self-congratulatory distraction was enough for him to be upon us.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked.

I shrugged and kind of nodded at the same time. He nodded in return. Then he kissed the life out of me, and I forgot how to breathe. So, shoot me... there were a lot of valid metaphors that happen to involve death.

Getting back with the program, I realized that maybe crazy had an upside. If this was how he kissed, he would be amazing when it came to fu—

“What the actual fuck!”

My sister’s outrage didn’t kill my libido, but it did remind me I might have been kissing someone I shouldn’t. Maybe not the time to joke about crazy killer stalkers. Down, Jace. Control the humor. You are before your time, and Birdie may be about to have an aneurism. Scratch the maybe. She was definitely turning an interesting shade of puce.

“She is my mate. Also, my brothers’. I have seen it.”

Hmmm. Damn. Definitely still crazy. I looked to Birdie to share the laugh, only to realize she had gone stone still.

“Did you say mate?” Birdie asked carefully.

For the first time in our lives—you know what I mean—I felt like I needed to be the logical one. “Birdie...”

She shook her head at me before I got any further.

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