Page 54 of Haunted Hearts

“I do not have an ‘issue’ with the reaper.”

I snort and Viktor chuckles from behind me. Theodon spares us a cold look over his shoulder.

“I don’t.”

“Then what’s going on there?” I press.

“Nothing.”

I roll my eyes. I’m sure that if Willow was here, she would call him out on his bullshit.

“Out of personal experience, I caution you not to let anything build up against the reaper,” Vitkor offers. “It’ll consume you.”

“I don’t have a problem with the reaper, nor am I harboring any ill-will towards him,” Theodon assures us in a voice that almost has me believing him.

But again, I know him too well. Theodon was raised as a prince. He learned to control certain things. His expression and tone for one.

Outside the training room, I pause while the others head down the hallway. “I’m going to go find them.”

The three of them utter their farewells before I slip away.

Death’s house is enormous. With multiple levels and separate wings on each corner of the house, the staff must find themselves constantly cleaning. Any visitors are sure to get lost if they wander off. If I wasn’t part Tangleling, I probably would have immediately gotten lost myself.

But I am a Tangleling, and these creatures are scent driven. I use my sense of smell to get to the more populated area and then follow the blended scents of others up different flights of stairs and down hallways. When I get to the back of the house where we entered, I catch Willow’s scent.

It’s fresh.

Given that I can’t catch the reaper’s scent, and there are no other newer smells in this area, Willow must be alone. Frowning, I follow in the direction that she’s taken. Again, I find myself trudging upstairs and weaving through hallways. Up on the main floors there are certainly more people about. Staff seems hard at work running errands from one room to another. Many confer with each other on tasks and duties. Their conversations and scents are distracting. Twice, due to the traffic in a specific corridor, I lose Willow’s scent.

But finally, I manage to locate the room she has occupied. When I approach it, I find the door just slightly ajar. Tentatively, I knock. I don’t want to interrupt anything if she’s busy, but I hate the thought of her being alone after all she’s been through. Especially with how fragile her soul is.

“Come in.”

I push the door open to find Willow standing in the middle of a small empty room. Empty except for what appears to be a fancy, stone bird bath filled with a milky white liquid, situated in the middle of the room. As I step into the room and shut the door behind me, I realize it’s not a birth bath. That’s a scrying pool. The Elders in Everlast had one in the temple to show us glimpses of what the Third Realm looked like so we would be prepared when we passed through a ripple.

My woman stands on the other side of the scrying pool, her face aglow from the water. At the sound of the door clicking shut, she looks up at me. The deep concentration weighing down her mouth and pulling together her brows evaporates as our eyes meet. Willow’s expression softens as she smiles.

“How’d you find me?”

I eye her carefully as I approach. The soft lighting from the liquid in the bowl catches her eyes and allows me to catch sight of the emotions brewing there.

Something’s wrong.

“I followed your scent,” I stop at her side. Her clothes are damp, as are the ends of her hair. Had she gone swimming before coming in here? “It’s quite delicious, you know. In fact, it’s utterly mouthwatering.”

I lean forward and kiss the side of her temple.

“Hmm… Well, I’m glad I smell good. I’d hope you would tell me if I needed a shower.” She pauses, her eyes trailing down the front of my sweaty shirt. When our eyes meet, one eyebrow slides upwards. “Speaking of a shower…”

“Are you telling me I stink, Willow Harvest?” My right hand covers my heart as I gasp in indignation.

Willow chuckles but it doesn’t chase away whatever is bothering her. “Don’t worry, your scent isn’t offensive.”

This time it's my turn to laugh softly. “Good to know. Care to join me for a bath? Then we can grab some dinner with the others.”

At Willow’s hesitation, I frown.

“What is it, Willow?” I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her towards me. I hum in approval as her arm snakes around my back to hold me too.

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