He hummed happily, but the day had caught up with him, and he quickly fell asleep. I was glad. He needed a reset. As much as sleep tugged at me, my brain was racing too hard for me to drift off. Truth be told, there was a part of me scared that if I passed out, too, we’d end up back in the veil. Dream-veil?
Good goddess, what had my grandparents been thinking keeping all of this from me all these years? I tried to see it from Gran’s point of view. She’d lost time with my mother because of these gifts, but she had to have known that she wouldn’t lose me. That I’d embrace them the way her and Pops obviously had.
I was hurt and confused, unsteady. Too much had changed in such a short period of time. Too many revelations. Too many unknowns.
The man in my arms breathed out a cute whisper snore. I huffed. Just the changes between us were enough for me to need a two-day camping trip to reflect. I wasn’t the jump-in kind of guy. I needed time to research everything they’d said. Time to think about all the feelings swirling between me and Sky. Time to process that Lee Porter, Pops, had been here for all these years, hanging around and taking care of Gran emotionally from beyond the grave.
I needed time.
“King,I know this is hard for you. A lot’s been thrown at you, and you want time to process, but that’s just not how life works sometimes, dear,” Gran said matter-of-factly.
As the dawn approached, I’d ended up drifting off for a few hours. Long enough to feel functional today. Both Chance and Elyse had started texting Sky early, wanting him to come out to the manor and talk. Jetty had called me, offering to take the day off work and meet me at the pond so we could go over things.
These were our people, the ones we usually leaned on, but Sky and I both decided that we needed the day together—just us. Except for this conversation that we needed to have with my Gran. Sky suggested getting it over with so it wasn’t hanging over our heads.
As much as I was still perplexed by her and kind of wanted to bury my head in the sand to all that she knew, I also needed answers so that I could genuinely enjoy my day with Sky.
Gran, of course, always one to do things her own way and in her own time, had made us coffee and breakfast before finally sitting down. “Gran, it’s not just that. We need more facts.”
She glared at me. “Eat your breakfast, my little prince. You can’t think on an empty stomach.”
Sky snorted, drawing her evil eye. “You too, young man.”
“Sorry.” He obediently shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth.
Slightly annoyed at her bossiness—and caginess, I picked up a piece of bacon when Pops casually strolled into the room.
“We can see you,” Sky said, choking around a bite of his eggs.
“Of course you can,” Gran said.
My jaw clenched. “But how can we see him?” I bit out. “We’re not out on the manor’s property.”
“I spelled our house for him to be visible to all who enter.” Theduhwas in her tone as she waved a hand around in the air like it should be obvious.
Seriously, her eccentricity had never bothered me. I’d never been embarrassed of her. I’d never felt like I fit in anywhere because of the crazy lady whispers about her, but she was my rock. My foundation. I’d have chosen her every time. But she was just being plain annoying now.
“Rosie.” Pops laid a hand over hers. “Stop putting the kids off.”
Sky sent me a smile full of humor at being called the kids, but my patience was gone. If this had just been about us—my family—then whatever. Whichever way Gran had wanted to dole stuff out would’ve been fine. If I’d been aware of all of this my whole life, maybe I’d even be calmer. But I felt betrayed—deceived by her silence—and if their stories from yesterday were to be believed, Sky could be in danger.
“Cut the crap, Gran. Sky ended up in my dream with me last night.”
She clapped her hands together, delighted. “So you drank the linking potion.”
Sky and I glanced at each other.Potion.Should we have known by concoction, she meant a flippin’ potion? What the fuck? Was it like a love potion or some other nonsense? What was she up to?
Before I erupted, Sky said, “No, we didn’t.”
It was Gran and Pops’ turn to exchange confused frowns. “If you didn’t drink it, what do you mean he ended up with you?”
Not wanting to embarrass Sky, I kept the screaming at him part to wake him up from showing me his secret lust to myself.“I mean, there’s a field I continually return to, andpop, there he was.”
Sky grinned widely. “Yeah,pop. Just like what happens with the spirits at Willowhope. One minute I was sleeping, and then bam, I was standing next to King while still asleep!”
His voice rose in excitement as he went, but he hadn’t seen what I’d seen—he hadn’t seen the eyeless woman with all the goop running down her face. He’d be far less happy if he had.
“Um.” Pops looked at Gran.
