Page 14 of Haunted Hearts

From the smug smile around his mouth, to the taunting glint in his eyes, I hate everything about the reaper in front of me. Rage flares through me, and for a moment I almost move to strike him. I want to, God only knows it would feel good in the moment.

But I don’t lash out like Viktor or succumb to animalistic urges like Kwil. Growing up in a castle with a queen for a mother and a king for a father, I learned the art of words and how to tread through dangerous political conversations. I also know Willow. We may have wronged her, but we’re a team now… no, we’re afamily. Neither she, nor I, will allow someone else to ruin what we have. I have no doubt that, mate or not, this reaper is in for a rude awakening. So instead of using my fists, I simply smile and say,

“If you think for a minute that you’ll ‘handle’ anything when it comes to Willow, you’re in for a surprise,” I shrug and step back, ready to end this conversation. “You’ve been on the sidelines for years, Brock. I’m interested in seeing how you’ll fare now that you’re allowed on the field.”

I turn and head towards his house. With each step I take, my resolve to prove to Willow that we’reallworthy of her becomes stronger and more imperative.

I refuse to allow Brock to drive a wedge between us all.

Chapter6

JONAH

In theory, I understood that Willow had parts of our souls and we had parts of hers. We’d all experienced that pain of being separated at one point or another. So, I even kind of understood the consequences of Willow’s actions when she saved us that fateful night.

Seeing the evidence, however, makes it all that much more real.

Viktor, Kwil and I stand there in stunned, horrified silence as we stare down at Willow’s naked soul. Her wet clothes lay in a heap on the floor, while Kwil still holds a towel, grabbed with the intent to dry her, clutched in one hand.

None of us move.

All we can do is stare at the evidence of what Willow has sacrificed for us. Along with the faint lines on her skin, are four long, thick, white slashes across her chest that look like scars, or strange tattoos. Two run parallel with each other from right to left, starting under her collar bone and stopping at the base of her ribcage. Another one runs in the opposite direction, through the two others. A fourth one, the thickest and longest of them all, starts between her collarbones and runs down between her breasts and stops just above her navel.

“That’s not—” I gulp. “Those can’t beoursouls… right?”

Viktor moves suddenly, startling both Kwil and I. He rips off his Ghost cloak and strips off his shirt. As he looks down, Kwil and I stare at the white slash mark that is a carbon copy of the largest one that runs straight down Willow’s chest. Viktor reaches up and touches the spot, his fingers trailing down it. A hard shiver rocks his body before his hand drops away.

When he looks up to meet our stares he says, “This is Willow.”

All the air leaves my lungs. She literally absorbed pieces of our soul into hers to save us. The enormity of that weakens my legs.

“I guess that answers that question,” I mutter, staring into his faintly glowing eyes. I have a feeling that has something to do with Willow too.

“Idid this to her,” Viktor continues, his voice a strained whisper as he turns to look down at Willow. “This is my fault. If I hadn’t touched that damn book, she wouldn’t look like… this.”

“No.” Kwil moves then, climbing onto the bed to kneel at Willow’s feet. “The book belonged to, and was cursed by, Frederick and Fulton. It’s their fault for creating such a dangerous spell book. It is the Ghost Brotherhood that has been opening ripples, both purposely and unintentionally, all over the realms that led us into that cave. We were just doing our jobs and trying to get rid of the damn thing and kill what we thought was a monster from the Third Realm.”

As Kwil starts to dry her legs, Viktor’s fist slams into the wall. I jump, the shock of Willow’s sacrifice fading as alarm chases it away.

“Ourjobs?” Viktor snaps venomously as he pulls his bloody knuckles away from the unaffected wall. He whirls around to face the other ex-Ghost in the room. “Kwil, we spent our entire lives believing in an organization that sought out and destroyed realms. They murdered millions, possibly even billions, in pursuit of power. Everything we’ve ever done for the Brotherhood has been a lie.”

Kwil pauses to stare at the two of us. “What?”

Oh yeah, Kwil hadn’t been there. Viktor throws his hands up in the air before bending at the waist to scoop up his shirt. “I don’t even know where to start!”

“I do,” I offer and look back at Kwil, “We learned a lot in the archives. The Fae people have been bouncing around from realm to realm, sucking them dry of their magic then leaving the realms, and anyone still living in them, to perish. The Elders who captured us confirmed everything we’d read about. They were using us as bait to lure you and Willow to them because they know she holds Death Magic, which they believe could potentially power your people’s entire kingdom for years and years. It’s really fucking messed up.”

There’s so much we need to catch him up on. But all of this feels like a lifetime ago now.

Kwil stares at us a moment longer before returning to drying Willow. His body is shaking so hard that I can’t tell if it’s from his normal vibrations or due to his Fae side being in shock. “Why? What end would justify that type of suffering?”

There is no justification for what they’ve done. At least, not in my book. I refrain from saying what I’m truly feeling. I don’t want to get Viktor all riled up again.

“The power harvested from the other realms helps grow better crops, gives the Fae their longevity, and I guess, heals ailments,” I shrug. “According to your Elders, Viktor could only see for as long as he could because of the power they pump through the water system, into the food, and however else they distribute it. Who knows what else they’ve managed to overcome with the power they have.”

“They are harvesting the stones from the Third Realm that hold this power they’re seeking, using a few Ghosts who are aware of the real purpose of the Brotherhood,” Viktor adds. “Everything we were taught, everything we’ve believed in… it was all a lie.”

Kwil is silent as he processes this information. But while he mulls it over, he continues to dry Willow’s body. Up he goes, making sure every drop of water is wiped away. When he gets to her head Kwil pauses to sit and lean up against the headboard. He pulls Willow’s body between his legs and begins to dry her hair.

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