Page 126 of Haunted Hearts

Jonah and Brock nearly dive off the bed, scurrying to hide in the wardrobes. Theo grabs me and yanks me forward, dragging the blanket back with us. He tries to throw it over me, but it’s twisted and stuck under us. Kwil manages to grab a pillow just as the door to the bedroom opens.

“No, Dad, wait!”

Rise and s—SHIT! WILLIE! WHY DIDN’T YOU WARN ME? Dad’s hands fly up to cover his face before stumbling back out of the room.

My face burns with mortification. All I want to do is melt into the mattress and disappear.

“Warn you about what? That I’m having a six-some?” I shriek back. “I don’t think any of us would have appreciated that!”

“Willow!” Theo yell-whispers, throwing up his hands.

The apartment door opens and then immediately slams shut.

The moment he’s gone, I fling my body backwards, my head resting on a pillow. I cover my face with my hand. There is a short pause as the others get to their feet or step out of their hiding places. Then the laughter starts. The heat in my face lessens somewhat as I laugh along with them.

“We need a place of our own.” My hand slides down my face as I sit up and look around at everyone. “Sothatnever happens again.”

“I say we start crashing at Brock’s house until we figure that out, because I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off of you until then,” Jonah says. He plops down onto the edge of the mattress and sends me a wide grin.

“There’s no way we’d fit comfortably in my place,” Brock shakes his head. “We could put an addition or two onto it, I guess.”

Viktor grunts as he grabs his clothes off the ground, “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

Brock’s house is small, but cozy. Adding to it to make it something we can all live in sounds wonderful.

“Since we took care ofhim,the realm hasn’t been causing me any problems,” I point out, looking down at my arms finding no sign of the shadows that tend to move beneath my skin. “And soon I’ll be able to control my power so Purcians can’t track me as easily. Moving could happen in the near future.”

It’s been a month since we took care of Fulton. We don’t speak his name or give him a thought. Knowing that he’ll be tormented for eternity is enough for us to let go of the hold he had on us. That night, when we had returned here, emotionally drained, and physically spent, Dad had been here at the house letting us know the Realm of the Dead was almost immediately restored to a livable balance. The relief had been enough to bring tears to my eyes. Since then, I’ve been at peace.

Of course, there’s still work to be done. There will always be a reason that the Realm of the Dead will be unstable. There are creatures that escaped into different realms when Fulton returned to the Realm of the Living that need to be captured. Then, of course, there will always be people trying to reach into this realm for their own gains. It will be a never-ending cycle of keeping this realm safe. But it’s a job I’m more than happy to do. Best part of it is, I’m not doing this alone. I have five men who I love that will be by my side for the rest of my existence.

Kwil flops down beside me, chucking the pillow in his lap away with a sigh.

“We could live under the stars for all I care,” he reaches over and takes my hand. Our fingers weave together. “But I never want your dad to potentially see my dick ever again, ok? I draw the line there.”

The bed shakes as we laugh.

“We have time to figure things out. Whether we move into Brock’s house, build our own, or whatever, we won’t rush ourselves.” Theo takes my other hand.

“You know what’s kind of cool?” Jonah asks.

I turn to look at him and find Jonah staring down at me.

“What is it?”

“That being dead is turning out to be more amazing and fulfilling than my life had ever been.” He smiles. “And it’s because of you. I’m glad you’re mine.”

Kwil snorts. “I found her first, she’s mine.”

“Ifound her house first, which led to you running into her. So technically, it wasIwho found Willow first,” Theo objects.

“But did she bathe you, hand feed you, and braid your hair? No, that was me that she did that to. She chose me first,” Viktor chuckles. “So, she was mine before all of you.”

The bed shakes under my and the other’s laughter.

“If we really want to get technical, I saw her first and stalked her,” Brock points out.

Jonah playfully pushes the reaper with his tail, “You’re such a weirdo. Don’t brag about being a stalker.”

I turn my head to stare up at the ceiling as all five guys begin to talk over one another to prove I was ‘theirs’ first. My heart flutters in my chest and laughter spills past my lips at their absurdity. This is going to be my life from now on. I don’t know how I’ll manage the five of them and my sanity, but I have a feeling they’ll have their hands full with me as well.

It won’t be easy and I’m certain we’ll butt heads at times, but it will all be worth it because in the end, we’re each other’s family.

This is our own happily ever after.

THE END

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