Page 12 of Haunted Hearts

THEODON

Kwil bares his large, sharp teeth as the Tangleling part of him rises up and takes over. It’s not often that Kwil can’t handle that side of him, but when he loses control… Well, it can get ugly.

While I don’t blame him for his protectiveness over our woman, I need to step in. Kwil will hate himself, if he doesn’t already, should Willow get hurt further because he couldn’t stop the monster instincts that are riding him. Coming up beside him, I avoid looking down at the large cracks splintered across Willow’s face, knowing that it’s just one more thing that will haunt me for years to come, and brace myself for trouble.

“Kwil, Willow needs help that we can’t give her.”

Kwil doesn’t break eye contact with Brock, nor does he let go of Willow as he rises to his feet. Jonah gets to his as well, stumbling back a few feet, watching the ex-Ghost warily. The deep warning growl that starts soft in Kwil’s chest, but grows louder the longer Brock stares him down, has me quickening my pace.

“Chill, Kwil, it’s ok,” Jonah reaches out to touch Kwil’s shoulder.

“Don’tJonah!” I warn as Kwil’s lips pull back in a warning. Jonah snatches his hand away quickly. “Kwil, Get yourself under controlnow.”

Brock says nothing as he waits for my brother to calm down. The reaper remains utterly still, as if he senses Kwil’s struggle to regain control. A moment passes before the tension leaks out of Kwil, and his growling stops. With a heavy sigh, he hands Willow off to Brock. I hold my breath until the reaper and Willow are at a safe distance.

“Should we take her inside?” Jonah asks as Brock takes a step back before turning and walking towards the small pond in the clearing that we’ve been billowed to.

I glance behind us, noting the small house, built with cedar shingle siding, a thatched roof covered in thick moss, and dark windows. The overgrown bushes around the small house have started growing up the walls, and the stones that make up the pathway leading to the front door are nearly covered in grass. It looks like the thin wooded area we’re in has started to absorb the house into itself.

“The water out here will act like a conductor and amplify my Death Magic,” Brock explains. “It won’t fix her, but it should keep her soul from splintering further until Death arrives for his daughter.”

I frown. “You possess Death Magic?”

“I do.” The reaper doesn’t elaborate as his feet touch the edge of the pond. He doesn’t stop walking, slowly submerging his body into the water. “This won’t take long.”

Without realizing that I’ve been following the reaper until tips of my boot touch the water, I come to an abrupt halt. Brock walks further and further out, sinking deeper with each step. I itch to join them. To be with Willow. The pond is so small that it’s only a few yards until he reaches the middle of it, the water coming halfway up his chest. Willow doesn’t stir in his arms as the water laps against her. To my left I hear Viktor approaching, to my right Jonah, then Kwil steps up.

“Do you think that…Idid this to her when I-I…?” Kwil’s wobbling voice trails off.

My head jerks side to side, “No, Kwil. I don’t think that you did this when you killed her.”

“You didn’t,” Brock agrees, hearing us just fine. “This is the work of trauma on a soul. It’s a testament to who Willow’s father is that her soul hasn’t shattered apart yet.No oneelse would have been able to handle what she’s gone through.”

There is a soft reverence that weaves through his words as Brock stares down into Willow’s face.

Behind me, Kwil lets out a soft sigh.

“Her death isn’t on you Kwil.” I turn to look at him over my shoulder, making sure he hears me. His eyes don’t leave Willow’s face but his jaw clenches, a sign that he doesn’t believe me. “This was Fulton’s doing. You saved her.”

Kwil saved Willow from suffering any longer. I’d only caught a glimpse of her trapped in the tree before Fulton took my complete attention. But that glimpse is all I needed for my dreams to be plagued with nightmares. Willow’s death was most certainly a mercy kill.

“Alright baby girl, I got you,” Brock says softly. His affectionate endearment and the gentle way that he holds her, doesn’t go unnoticed.

Bending at the knees, the reaper lowers himself further so that Willow’s body floats atop of the water. He shifts her so that he cradles Willow in one arm in order to open his other hand. The scythe makes another appearance as it materializes in his grasp. The blade begins to glow as he dips it into the water. Small ripples begin to crest over the top of the water. The scythe disappears and suddenly Brock sinks below the surface, taking Willow with him.

“Fuck, I hate this,” Kwil whispers, his voice strained.

“He really does care about Willow,” Jonah says. Out of the corner of my eye I see him shrug.

Without taking my eyes off the glowing water where Willow had gone, I ask him, “What makes you think so?”

“I mean, he’s been stalking her for the past five years. That’s some dedication right there. But besides that, he was really freaking out when I showed up, having seen Willow being taken and all. He was adamant about finding her and saving her. He has it as bad as we do for her."

His words give me pause. Ripping my eyes away from the water, I look over at him.

“I hope your passing was easy.” I may have found the young man annoying in the beginning, but his nonchalance and easy-going nature has grown on me. I vowed we’d be a team now that we have Willow’s best interest at heart, and I find myself happy to have Jonah on our side.

He tilts his head and grimaces. “It was fast at least.”

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