Page 71 of Ghostly Touches

I step back.

“Don’t come anywhere near me.” My voice wavers as anger blazes through me. “I don’t want, or need, your help.”

Theo studies me. With the way his eyes sweep over me, I can tell he’s looking for a new injury. I hope they felt my experiment. Yeah, it hurt me, but it feels good knowing it got to them too. With a sigh, Theo waves his hand towards the bed.

“Sit, Willow. Let us explain.”

“I don’t need an explanation. I need to get as far away from you as possible.”

Instead of sitting down, I take a step back. My eyes flicker to the door behind them. There’s no way I’d get past them.

“Please, Willow.” Kwil moves to take a step towards me, but Theo holds him back with a simple look in his direction.

“Willow, we owe you an apology. Please, let us do it properly,” Theo tries again. His expression is unreadable. But it’s his eyes that tell a story. There is fire lit in them. It's a blaze of determination and passion so bright that they nearly glow from the intensity. Theo is going to get what he wants, no matter what. If I want to get out of here, I have to deal with this man.

Moving to the bed farthest from them, I sit down stiffly.

Theo takes the medication from Kwil’s hand, grabs a styrofoam cup that’s been placed on the dresser, and comes over to me. He sits beside me and offers me both. I don’t take them. My eyes remained fixed on his face.

“You’ll feel better if you take these,” he urges.

“Just say what you have to say, Theo. Then maybe I can get some reprieve for a bit from the presence of the Fallen.”

Both Theo and Kwil flinch hard. Theo looks away from me, placing the drink on the floor to give himself a moment to either gather his patience or to rein in his temper. I’m not sure which. When he straightens, the leader of this trio turns to face me with a frown.

“You cannot comprehend the struggles we face each and every day, Willow,” Theodon starts with a bow of his head. “Being a Ghost means you're invisible to the world, dead to your family, and given an impossible task to kill creatures that will never stop searching for blood. There is no retiring or quitting. When you are done with serving, it is because you are cold and decaying in the ground. We give upeverythingto serve and protect this world from monsters. We have nothing but each other. Our vows make it so if we are ever anything less than perfect, we become Fallen. There is no wiggle room in our vows or consideration for what a life of fighting and loneliness can do to the mind or our bodies.”

He turns his whole body to face me, his eyes boring into mine as he continues.

“I have been tasked to lead two men in a journey that will only end in our deaths. With how much we give up for the Brotherhood, it is not fair to let Kwil die because he hadonelapse in judgment that cost him greatly. It’s not fair that because Viktor is losing his sight and burdened with so much emotional strife that his sanity is on the brink of shattering, that he should be put down. What my men need is someone who has faith in them. Someone who will guide them back to the path when they veer off course.”

Viktor is losing his sight? Huh, that kind of explains his reaction if he’s a bit touchy about it. I might have felt a little bad for the guy if he hadn’t just hit me so hard that I blacked out.

“I will do anything for Kwil and Viktor because they have done everything for this world and our Brotherhood. If that means breaking into a necromancer's house and begging for her assistance, then so be it. If that means stealing you away from all that you know so that my brothers will not suffer the painful effects that distance puts on our souls, fine. If that means giving away your car for the sake of not raising suspicion, I’ll do it. Call us Fallen if you want. All I care about is that we survive.”

I can feel the rage simmering in my chest turn into a boil at his words. Before I can shut down wherever this is going, Theo's expression softens ever so slightly.

“But while I’ll do anything for my men and to protect them, I will make sure they understand that common decency is always expected. Courtesy and respect play a very large role as both Ghosts and gentlemen. Viktor should have never touched you, Willow.” Theo leans forward. “I apologize for his behavior. It will never happen again.”

He can’t assure that. Theo knows it, and I do too. His words may be filled with a passionate plea for sympathy, but all I feel is bitterness.

“Pretty words, Theo.”

“They are not just words. It is my honor that I risk if I cannot protect the ones in my circle, and for now, that includes you and Jonah.”

“Where is Jonah, by the way?” I look to him then to Kwil. “You didn’t leave him with Viktor, did you?”

“He’s safe in the room next door,” Theo assures me. “Though, we had to tie him up again since he tried to grab you and run earlier.”

He did? My heart swells a little at the gesture. My mouth twitches into a short but smug smile.

“How is it that I feel safer with a man with a tail and horns than I do with a group of respected warriors?”

Theo’s pupils narrow. “For now, we’re a team, and we need to work together to stay alive. Viktor has been put through his paces and will never touch you like that again. But now you must understand your cooperation is imperative for our survival. Forallof us.”

I make a face. “I’m not sure what you expect from me at this point. It kind of feels like a hostage situation, and I really don’t have a say.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way.” Theo shakes his head. “Follow my orders, and we won’t have to tie you up and drag you everywhere with us. We have to run and get as far away as possible from that safehouse. The ones who visited us this morning know something is off about us, and since we left our post, we’re in serious trouble with the Brotherhood. My plan is to keep moving until I can figure out a way to clear our names without having to show our faces. All of this will be much easier if we don’t have to worry about arguing with you and Jonah every step of the way.”

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