Page 98 of Ghostly Touches

“We need to find the nearest safehouse,” he says after a moment. “From there we can find the map that indicates the different ripples and throw the book into the Third Realm. This Fredrick Noir will not be getting his hands on it.”

I frown. “Is it a good idea to stay at a safehouse?”

“We’re days away from the one they found us in. There’s no way they’d know we’re headed to this one when there are others closer.” Theodon sighs. “We’ll leave right after we grab the map.”

Chapter27

THEODON

My instincts blare loudly that we need to put more distance between us and the black knights.

The energy that radiated off the Utikyie was wholly, earth-shatteringly horrific. Seeing it coming out of a dark void as I killed off the sudden influx of men dressed in black circling the cabin was probably one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I knew on a visceral level, as I stared at the black knight, I wouldn’t be able to kill it. There is something about them that screams eternal and dangerous.

It’s been eight hours since I saw it, and yet I’m still white knuckling the steering wheel and constantly checking my mirrors to see if it has caught up with us. Any stops we make for gas or food are quick. For now, Jonah and Willow seem more than willing to listen to orders as I bark them.

No one wants to chance another meeting with those things.

If you can’t kill them, how am I supposed to protect everyone from them? How are we supposed to eliminate this threat to this world? This is something the Brotherhood needs to know about. They need to stop whoever is behind it before this gets too out of hand. Or maybe it already has gotten out of hand. The number of monsters we’re killing each night is alarming. Even during our training, the stories they told of the creatures coming through from the Third Realm were never swarming in these types of numbers. And never did they mention running into demons or Utikyie.

What am I going to do?

I’ll toss the book into the Third Realm and be done with it. But that won’t help for long. These creatures are coming for Willow. Until I cut ties with her, my men will be in danger. I can’t wait for the moment we’re done with her.

Guilt curdles in my gut.

Could I walk away from Willow and Jonah, knowing they’re cursed, and let them fend for themselves? Yes, if that means Kwil and Viktor are safe. Would I hate myself for it? Also, yes. But I’ll add it to the list of things I hate myself for. The list is already pretty long.

“Theo?”

Willow’s soft voice surprises me. I glance over to find her curled up in the passenger seat, her arms wrapped around her knees, staring at me with a frown. She’d been quiet for so long I thought she’d been sleeping.

“Are you okay?”

I nod as I look back at the road. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Whatcha doing with your hand then?”

I look down to find one hand gripping the wheel so tight that my knuckles are white, and the other is curled into a claw and gripping the middle of my chest. What the hell am I doing? I drop my hand away from my chest back onto the steering wheel.

“Here.” Willow shifts in her seat to put her feet on the floor. She places one elbow on the console and offers me her hand.

“I’m good.”

Willow doesn’t pull back her hand. She just sits there, her palm facing up on the console while she turns her head to look out the window. “It’s okay to ask for help sometimes, my king.”

A shiver of something runs down my spine at the nickname. If she’s back to using nicknames, has she given up holding a grudge against us? I hope so. It was exhausting to deal with.

“I don’t need help. Everything is under control, and I’m fine.”

Willow says nothing to this. Her silence speaks louder than any words she could have spoken. When I look over at her face, I catch sight of her fighting back a smile as she stares out the window.

“Do you doubt me?”

Willow bites her bottom lip while her shoulders shake. “Nope, you’re good. I believe you.”

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