Page 106 of Haunted Hearts

We whirl around to find Willow by the door to our apartment, leaning against it for support. This time, she’s fully back. Though clearly exhausted, maybe even a bit haunted, Willow looks healthy and herself again. Our shock seems to fall away all at the same time because we all break into a run. There’s pushing and shoving, some swearing and even a threat is uttered under someone’s breath as we try to race each other to Willow’s side.

Theo beats everyone to Willow. His arms wrap around her waist before he lifts her up and twirls her around.

“Thank goodness you’re back.” His voice is strained as he tries to speak.

Willow reaches up, giving him a weak smile, and cups his face. “I missed you.” Her eyes flicker to the rest of us as we huddle around her. “I missed all of you.”

We all erupt into a barrage of “we missed you more” and “I love you”. We all try to talk over each other, bombarding her with questions and affirmations. Willow just stands there in Theo’s arms and smiles at us.

“Alright, alright, give her some air,” Brock yells over all of us. “And Theo, pass her over. You have to share.”

Theo chuckles before bending down to kiss Willow’s cheek. When he pulls away, I yank on her wrist to pull her towards me. Without giving her a chance to protest, I bend her backwards and give her a long, passionate kiss. She chuckles against my lips. When I straighten, Willow rests her cheek on my chest.

“How do you feel?” I ask, needing to know if there is anything I can do for her.

Willow hums thoughtfully, “I’mtired, a bit hungry, but otherwise… I-I’m ok.”

“Ok?” Kwil incredulousness is spoken sharply, drawing our attention. “You’ve been gone for over a week and a half. What do you mean you’re ok? Hell,I’mnot ok!”

She reaches out to him without lifting her cheek. Kwil takes her hand immediately.

“The realm and I came to an understanding.” She pauses as she swallows hard. “It wasn’t pleasant, but it stopped being… horrible.”

Viktor steps around me to stand beside Willow. His white brows furrow with concern. “The night before all this happened, you said you could feel the realm. That it spoke to you. Was this like that?”

At her nod Theo asks, “What did it say?”

Her body leans harder into me. I wrap an arm around her waist and kiss the top of her head.

“We can talk tomorrow,” I kiss her again. She shakes her head.

“The Realm of the Dead demands Fulton’s presence. He belongs here,” she states firmly in a quiet voice. “It was showing me why.”

Brock growls as he moves closer to us. “Then it’s time to go get him.”

I exchange looks with the others over Willow’s head. The grim determination and hard lines on their faces tell me we’re all on the same page about this.

“We’ll get him, Willow,” Theo vows. “And once we have him, he’s all yours.”

I bend down and scoop her up when she leans so heavily into me that I worry her legs are about to go out from beneath her.

“In the meantime, you’re all ours.”

Smiling sleepily up at me, Willow whispers, “I love you.”

Chapter33

WILLOW

The next morning, the guys try to let me sleep in.

If I were still in the Realm of the Living, I would have gladly taken them up on the offer. But I’m not. I’m in the Realm of the Dead. I have a responsibility to the Realm of the Dead, there’s no time for sleep. Not after what it showed me over the past few days. The realm’s mood is a storm inside of me, urging me to act.

After breakfast, we’re back in the library. It’s one of Theo’s favorite places in the entire house and I can see why. With the rows of books, a space to plot and plan, and a warm silence, one could lose themselves in their thoughts easily here. Knowing that Theo is always mulling over one thing or another, I’m sure the ability to get lost must be nice. Maybe, one day, we’ll have the luxury to sit here in silence to lose ourselves together in the quiet and the books. For now, we’ll use this as a battle room.

Like before, Theo has pulled out a map and laid it out on the large table for us to view. I watch his finger as it trails around the section where the Windom vacation house is situated. The woods surrounding the property offer both safety and cover. But they can host unpleasant surprises as well.

“Remember that ring of stones Fulton had around the tree Willow was trapped in?” Brock asks, looking around us.

---