Page 102 of Haunted Hearts

Then another slips by.

None of us can sleep, we’re hardly eating, and it’s taking its toll. Our focus is slipping. The strain of our separation with Willowhurts.I wish there was some way to communicate with her like this, to assure her we haven’t given up on trying to get her back. When we come up on the third day, Theo finally calls it.

“We need to get some sleep. Without it, we’re useless to Willow. We’ll take shifts, while the others try to coax her out of the realm’s hold. Jonah, Kwil—”

“Don’t you dare say we take the first shift.” I glare at him. “I’m staying up until I can’t keep my eyes open.”

I won’t let you down, Willow.

“I’m with Jonah,” Kwil says through clenched teeth.

Brock, who’s been fluttering around the apartment helplessly, lets out a frustrated sigh that Theo unintentionally seems to echo.

“I’m going to go see if I can find Death.” The reaper moves towards the door to the apartment. “He helped you guys before, maybe he can do it again.”

Theo nods before turning to the other person in the room. “Viktor, you and I need to get some rest.”

The white haired Fae snarls, openlysnarls,and slams his fist down onto the table.

“Theo we can’t stop—”

“Wehaveto in order to be strong enough to fight a damnrealm!” Theo snaps sharply. “We’re not abandoning Willow by resting.”

Viktor stomps off, Theo on his heels, towards the bedroom. I don’t even glance at Kwil. We know what we need to do.

Flopping down on the couch, I reach for my connection with Willow and keep trying.

* * *

In the middle of the fourth day, Willow returns.

Sort of.

One minute there’s no one by the window, in the next, Willow’s standing there with her back facing us. Her arrival is so abrupt that I nearly levitate off the couch, where’d I been focusing on our connection.

“Willow!” I’m tripping over my feet as I race across the apartment to her. Tears of relief blur my vision

Before she can turn around, my arms wrap around her waist and I’m burying my face in her hair.

“Oh, thank god you’re back,” I whisper. “I’ve missed you so much. Are you ok? Do you need anything?”

Willow doesn’t turn or say a word which is… odd. Usually, when she returns from her time away, she’s shaking, in tears, or very pissed off. I pull my face away from her and move until I’m standing in front of her. My heart skips a beat when I look upon her face.

“Willow?” Viktor jumps up from the table at the same time Theo and Kwil come rushing out of the bedroom.

Her name peppers the air as they all hurry over. My mouth doesn’t seem capable of moving or I would have warned them that something isn’t right. When they see what’s wrong, they all turn to statues.

“Oh shit, what’s going on? Willow?” Viktor grabs her shoulders and shakes her. “Willow? Can you hear us?”

The woman standing before us, with pitch-black eyes, a face that is sunken in, and absolutely zero awareness, is not Willow. I mean it is, physically, but it’s like only a part of her returned. Viktor shakes her hard again.

“Cut it out,” I shoulder him out of the way. The fact that he steps back is a testament to how surprised and disconcerted he is, not my strength.

“Willow,” Theo’s hand reaches up to cup her cheek gently. His eyes search her face. “Can you talk to us?”

To my surprise her dried lips part and she whispers, “Help me.”

Before any of us can ask how or what to do, Willow’s gone again. We all jump back in surprise, but I leap forward again, waving my arms through the air where Willow was just standing in the hopes that maybe there is something of her left to hang on to.

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