Page 50 of Haunted Hearts

A while. Eons, sometimes. There are those who still haven’t found their other half. Given the different realms within the Realm of the Dead, it’s possible some souls never find one another.

“Before the guys came into my life, I was alone a lot. Pretty much right after college, I hit the road and bounced city to city, town to town. My power, it wassostrong, you know?”

I don’t but I remain silent as she muses out loud.

“I would use a little too much doing something and suddenly, I have a mob after me. Moving around and being unable to bememade it hard to make friends. When the Veil refused to open, that shortened my time in each place significantly, as I decided to take it upon myself to send souls over. When I was at my absolute loneliest, I found you.”

When Willow pauses, it's only for her hands to slide upwards so that her arms can wrap around my neck.

“Every time I opened that Veil and saw you, I would tell you everything. What was going on in my life, where I was, anything new or exciting. You, unknowingly, became my long-distance best friend.”

My hands tightened on her hips.

“I wish I could have heard everything that you shared with me.” My heart twists knowing that her words were lost between the realms.

Willow smiles but her eyes lower as she continues, “It would have been nice to have a two-way conversation.”

I pull Willow so close that there is no water between us. My body grows hotter than the water with hers pressed up against mine.

“You know, none of that explains why you don’t think you need some of this wonderful peace and quiet,” I point out softly as we stare at one another.

Willow rolls her eyes at me before she gives me a coy smile.

“Sorry, I thought you could read between the lines.” She leans forward to kiss the middle of my chest.

The muscles there flex under her lips.

“As much trouble as they brought me, running into the guys brought excitement back into my life. I hated being on my own as much as I was. Sad and confused spirits don’t make for good company. And quite frankly, I was bored with life. The others and I may not have gotten off on the right foot, but I think we all balance each other out nicely now that all cards are on the table.”

My body tenses.

“Are you serious? I know that Viktor hit you and that Theodonstabbedyou. They chased you and Jonah down, drugged you, tied you up, and then hid you in a basement! They continuously put you in harm’s way.”

Willow sighs. “Yes, those things happened, but they’re in the past.”

“But it’s not, it’s right here,” I object as I step back and wave my hand at her stomach that’s just below the water. “The water is clear enough for me to see where Theodon plunged a dagger into your gut, Willow. Hell, look at your chest! They tore you apart so thoroughly, that they’ve imprinted themselves on your soul. Those Fae are dangerous to you. The evidence of Theodon’s failures as a leader is all around you. You wouldn’t be dead if he’d just—”

“But Iamdead, Brock,” Willow’s voice is sharp as her eyes light up and her body stiffens. “We should change the subject.”

She moves to step back, out of reach, but I grab her hand. Is Willow blind? Or is she just in denial?

“I can’t believe you can stand here and defend them.” My grip tightens around her as my anger surges forward. “I’llneverforgive them for how they treated you.”

“If I can, why can’t you?”

I suck in a shaky breath as my anger boils through me. “They’re dangerous, Willow. Death wants them to protect you, but who will protect you from them?”

“I’mdangerous,” she replies coldly. Willow yanks her hand away from mine as her brows furrow. “We’re a package deal, Brock.”

“Ok, and? I can desire your company and still watch out for any of Theodon’s failures. If you refuse to see that he’s not someone you should hang around, then I’ll be your eyes.”

“My Ghosts aren’t the bad guys,” Willow steps back, glaring at me. “They came to me looking for help and you know what?Imade the decision to attempt to break the curse over Viktor. No one made me do anything.”

She scoffs as she turns and walks back towards her clothes.

“Yeah, there were some rough patches there for a bit, but you know what? Theodon learned from his mistakes, Viktor has let down his guard, and Kwil stopped hiding his true self. The three of them accepted me and Jonah, and ever since we’ve been a team.” She pauses to look over her shoulder at me, her expression twisted with disdain. “I love them, all of them, Brock. And if you can’t accept that, if you can’t accept that we’re all flawed individuals working towards being better every day, with every choice we make, thenwe’renot the problem.”

Shit, I’ve fucked up. Cursing myself at my own stupidity, I surge forwards after her.

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