Page 118 of Enspelled

“That was some leveling up,” he murmurs.

“I had to die first, so I could be strong enough to beat her,” I admit.

“I wish you’d said that before I watched you die,” he says, his eyes haunted. “Don’t do that again.”

“Die?” I ask. “Because I have to tell you—”

I’m suddenly pressed against his chest as he holds me so tight that I can barely breathe. But I don’t pull away. I lift my arms and wrap them around him as my eyes meet Sera’s.

Sera smiles in relief before she glances to the right, getting a glimpse of Bodie—who must’ve shifted at some point, because he’s standing naked beside her. She blushes so hot that I swear I feel the heat of it from several feet away.

Grinning, I rest my head against Keane’s shoulder as he holds me. What this hug means for us, I’m not sure yet. Or if we even have a future. But right now, I don’t want to let him go. Being in his arms feels too good.

“What now?” he murmurs against my hair, as if he can read my thoughts.

A wolf chuff echoes in my head, and I startle in surprise.

Keane lifts his head and peers down at me. “What is it? What happened?”

I gaze up at him, eyes wide. “I thought they were gone. That Aunt Mel killed them.”

“Who?” he asks. But even as he speaks, realization fills his eyes. “The souls?”

I nod.

“You called me Romeo before,” he says. “The only person who ever called me that was my dad. Was there anything else they told you?” Desperate hope fills his gaze.

Another wolf chuff echoes in my head, and this one I understand.

I lift my hand and curve it around his jaw. “That they want to talk to you.”

As I watch, wonder and then shock ripples across his face.

The wolf chuffs and growls continue in my head, but I don’t understand what they’re saying. I just know they’re not talking to me.

I don’t know how long Keane’s mental conversation with the souls of his pack lasts, but several minutes at least. When the wolf chuffs end and Keane pulls me into another hug, I hold him back, wanting to cry when I feel a splash of wetness against my neck.

“Thank you, Briar,” he whispers in my ear. “For letting me say goodbye.”

A new growl in my mind draws my attention. Closing my eyes, I’m back in the Madden Grove Wood beside the fire pit. Across from it, a lean man with gray hair and amber eyes gazes back at me.

“You’re Keane’s dad,” I say.

He nods. “I am.”

“You’re leaving now.”

“Yes. It was wrong of us to cling so tightly to you with all the damage we could have done, but to be near Keane again was… a hard thing to let go of.”

“I know,” I tell him. “I’d have done the same if it was my parents.”

Already I can see him beginning to fade. “I couldn’t have chosen a better mate for Romeo.”

I feel a blush sear my cheeks. “Are you trying to get me to hook up with your son?” My voice is incredulous, and I swear I can hear the blush in it too.

A male sort of amusement. “Looks like you already did that.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Holy crap, is this embarrassing.”

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