Page 24 of Haunted Hearts

I squeeze her hand. “Then you didn’t miss too much.” Her eyes return to my face. “Fulton escaped the Realm of the Dead somehow, but not before you destroyed his project and chased after him. That was pretty impressive.”

Surprise snaps Willow out of her disorientation. “Me? How did I do that?”

“The hell if I know, but it was pretty awesome.” Willow’s giggle causes my heart to swell. “All I know is what I saw, and that was you blowing things up, calling down fire and lightning from the sky, and then disappearing and reappearing in a puff of smoke. It was exhilarating and terrifying.”

Willow blinks in surprise before shaking her head, “You’re lying. I didn’t do any of that.”

“Why would I lie about that?”

She gives me a one shoulder shrug while trying to hide her smile. “Who knows why stalkers lie? You’ll have to tell me. I just know I’ve never been able to do any of that before, so why would it happen now?”

I gasp before pulling my hand away from hers.

“You know what? Maybe it wasn’tmedoing the stalking. After all, it was you that kept opening the Veil wherever I just so happened to be. I swear you were waiting to catch me naked at some point with the frequency in which you appeared!”

The rest of the worry and fear in Willow’s eyes disappears as she laughs. It’s a full belly laugh that steals my breath away.

“Don’t turn this around on me, stalker.” When she takes a step towards me, my breath catches. “In any case, how do you play a role in all of this? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re here, but how did you know I was in the Realm of the Dead?”

I’m glad you’re here… the words repeat themselves in my head. I try, really hard, not to grin with excitement but I fail miserably.

“What?” Willow demands curiously.

“Nothing.” I clear my throat. “Jonah came headfirst through the Veil that you opened and landed right at my feet. He told me what was happening and led me straight to you. Apparently, his tracking skills transferred with him when he came over. We were lucky, because most magic from the Realm of the Living doesn’t.”

The amusement on her face vanishes. Her eyes grow wide with horror, “He came after me? But I’ve told him—”

“He chased after the woman he loves without any hesitation,” I interrupt gently. “I wouldneverfault a man for that.”

Willow closes her mouth, her brows coming together as she considers this. Has Jonah not told her about his feelings for her? Or does she not believe someone would go through such lengths for her? Both options seem like a travesty.

“I take it that you hadn’t been able to locate Fulton before my arrival, huh?”

I frown. “No, why would I look for him? I didn’t even know about the warlock until Jonah told me about him.”

“I’d told spirits to ask you to look for him, or any signs of him the last time I’d sent over a massive group. They said they’ll tell you.”

Ah, I do recall spirits telling me something bad was happening over here.

“You must be talking about the three sisters.” At Willow’s nod I continue, “Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to understand a word of what you were talking about. All they could tell me was that there was a bad man on this side, and we should alert the authorities.”

Willow lets out a heavy sigh as she shakes her head. “I guess it was foolish to send a messenger.” She pauses before asking, “How did we get here, by the way?”

“After Fulton escaped, I brought you and your friends back to my house where I tried to heal your soul. Your dad found us there and brought us here. Unfortunately, with your disappearing act, we haven’t been able to get you much help. Luckily for you, and us, your soul seems to be mending on its own.”

Willow opens her mouth but before she gets her next question out, the door to the bedroom opens, causing us both to jump.

“Willow!” Viktor calls out in relief as he steps into the room. Over his shoulder he calls, “She’s awake and in here!”

Willow immediately leaves my side, bolting over to the Fae, meeting him halfway across the room. Her arms lock around his neck and she buries her face into his chest. Viktor’s jaw ticks as his nostrils flare. Judging by his expression, I’m positive he’s about to push her away. The man surprises me, however, when his arms come around her and crush Willow into his chest. With care, the Fae leans down and kisses the top of her head.

“I have a thousand questions,” she tilts her head up to study him. “The first being why Ifeelso much of you and why you havemypower humming around inside of you. I can feel it calling to me and your eyes are literally shining with it.”

“It’s not creepy that you can feel that or anything,” Viktor mutters, but his face softens just a bit. He glances over me, “Was she with you this whole time? No more episodes?”

At my nod, Viktor turns his attention back to Willow.

“Your father believes that you and I share so much of one another, that your power affects my soul on a molecular level.” At this, Viktor lifts his hands and places them on her shoulders. “Does that bother you?”

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