Page 92 of Ghostly Touches

I suppress a deep growl as my monster reacts. Yes, my brothers have done that. Their actions and words have put a strain on my relationship with them. We’ve done some horrible things in our past, but these past two weeks have put a wedge between us, and I know it’s because of how they’ve been treating the woman in front of me.

“HaveIdone either of those things?”

Willow stares at me a long moment before shaking her head. “No, you haven’t.”

“What if I do something they have yet to do?”

Willow frowns. “What are you offering?”

“I’m curious about you Willow, but it’s not fair to ask you to open up when I haven’t been willing to share more of myself. I want you to know me. To see me.” I swallow. Her pupils narrow as her frown deepens. I take a deep breath and let my hand leave her face to reach up with both hands to my hood. “I’m not a Fae and I’m not a monster, but something in between. You deserve to know who desires your affections. Let me show you who I, Kwil of Glenwig, am.”

I take a step back as I pull back my hood. If she’s going to see me for the first time, I want her to have space to run. The fabric of my hood falls back. Holding my breath and waiting for the scream, I stare down at Willow Harvest for the first time without anything obscuring my face. Her green eyes widen, and her breath catches as she stares up at me. Her lips pop open slightly as her gaze slides across my features.

I know it’s a lot to take in.

From the bottom half of my nose down, I’m some warped Tangleling freak. The smooth, inky skin never formed correctly around my cheeks, so if she looks closely, she’ll see through the gaps of tendon and see the large teeth that have replaced my molars. The tip of my nose is gone, and my front teeth are sharp and gnashed together, unhindered by lips that I no longer have.

It’s terrifying, I know. It’s why I keep my hood up even when it’s just my brothers and me in the Third Realm. I don’t want to catch my reflection in a pond or in the thick walls of ice during the winter solstice. Our vows dictate I should have killed myself the moment I was no longer of sound mind, body, and soul. They also decree that mybrothersshould have put me down when they realized I had been bitten. But here I am, living with both the shame of my failures and disgust of what I have become.

Willow shuts her mouth as her brows come together.

“I’m… confused.” She shakes her head as she continues to stare up at me.

I suppose confusion is better than her taking off screaming. I’m not sure Theodon or Viktor would appreciate me causing unnecessary drama.

“You said there would be a monster, and honestly, I’m disappointed.”

I’m not following. Willow’s not blind, but judging by the genuine confusion on her face there seems to be some sort of disconnect. She takes a step forward, closing the small distance I put between us. She raises her hand, but I catch her hesitation.

“Do you mind if I touch your face?”

I’m bewildered by the woman in front of me. After giving her a half nod, I lower my face so she can explore.

When her warm hand cups my grotesque face, I flinch. Not because it hurts or feels weird but because the contact is so wonderfully beautiful it almost draws tears to my eyes. My heart beats rapidly, and my breath catches in my throat. Her palm slides across my cheek. The flesh beneath her hand vibrates, causing her eyes to grow wider. Her fingertips slip across my chin before the back of her hand skims across my other cheek.

My eyes are glued to her face. I want to be able to brace myself if her wonder begins to shift to horror as it should. It takes a few minutes, but her wonder does eventually fade. But not to fear. Her face relaxes as her eyes fill with understanding and… I frown, I can’t tell what else I’m seeing there. As long as it’s not fear, I don’t care what this unspoken emotion reflecting back at me is. A smile spreads across her face as her hands continue to hold my face. Her thumb slides back and forth across the strange skin on my cheek as we stare at one another.

“Thank you.” Her words are whispered between us.

I let go of the breath I’ve been holding.

“For what?”

“For letting me seeyou, Mystery Man.” Her grin is breathtaking.

Her nickname for me draws forth a smile. I didn’t realize how much I missed hearing it until now. Willow rocks forward onto the balls of her feet. Before I realize what she’s doing, her lips press against my mouth. Time freezes as my heart trips over itself, skips a beat, and then launches into a sprint. Her kiss sends a zap of electricity through me, bringing me to a new level of living.

My pretty necromancer really isn’t scared. A hurricane of relief, trepidation, joy, and jubilance kicks up and surges through me, rattling me to my core. Even the monster seems taken back and overwhelmed. I’ve let Willow see the worst version of myself, and she’s still standing here, holding onto my face like a lifeline.

Mine. Ours.The words in my head aren’t spoken with greed and hunger, like before. There’s a tenderness behind each one that only stirs up the storm inside me further.

A choking sound makes its way between us. Willow seems to understand the noise because she leans further into me, her hands sliding from my face up into my hair. My thoughts become singular and beautiful as they circulate around the woman in front of me.

I grab her face in my hands and deepen the kiss.

Her soft gasp is swallowed as my tongue slides into her mouth. Leaning against me, there’s no doubt she misses the way my body vibrates wildly, harder now than ever before. She grabs the long strands of my hair and tugs gently. I groan at the brief, sharp pain.

I need Willow. I need to taste her, dive into her, and become one. The wordless excitement being screamed inside of my head mixes with the lightweight fuzzy feeling inside of my chest. I pull away from her mouth only to reach up and rip my gloves off with my teeth. They fall to the floor of the porch with a plop. This time when I grab her face, I can feel the smoothness and warmth. Thelifethat’s there.

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