Page 55 of Between Life and Death

He didn’t say no.

Slowly, I lowered myself into the grand tub. The girth of it easily accommodated two people.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his gaze meeting mine.

“I’m freeing you from your ghost—if only for a moment.” I crawled towards him, the water overflowing, splashing on the floor.

“You don’t have to,” he said, although his wandering eyes said otherwise.

I placed a gentle finger on his lips before I removed it and brought my face to his. And for a moment, we looked into one another’s eyes—two desperate souls yearning to bring a lost loved one home.

I closed my eyes and brought my mouth to his. I pretended I was kissing Von—that it was his steely, tattooed body underneath mine.

And dear gods, it was hot.

I lost myself in it, convinced it was him.

“What’s your name anyway?” I asked a short while later, a giggle bubbling up on my swollen lips.

“Arkyn,” the king’s advisor replied as he studied his pruned fingers, water dripping down the length of his forearm. He brought his fingers closer to his face, as if it would allow him to get a better look.

“Ar-kyn,” I tested the two syllables, smacking my lips at the end for added emphasis. I felt giddy, blissful, and increasingly drunk—holy dancing bananas, did Ezra’s tonic pack a punch.

My mood instantly changed. I felt frustrated. Especially with myself. I was supposed to be doing something. I was supposed to be—

“You are quite easy on the eyes,” I cooed as I looked at him, not caring that I’d blurted another secret out.

He dropped his hand in the tub, and we both laughed as if it were the funniest thing we had ever seen. He did it again and we laughed some more.

“You look so much like her, and yet, something is off,” he slurred. “Like a veil has been conjured overtop. Your features are distorted, like I can’t see the real you.”

“What?” I hiccupped. His words made as much sense as my fragmented thoughts.

Footsteps came thundering into the room. It hurt my ears—it was too loud.

Hands gripped my shoulders as a voice—Harper’s voice—filled my mind. “Are you okay? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I’m fine.” I tried to tap her nose but failed, and my hand fell back into the water.

My head swiveled towards Arkyn, our gazes meeting, and we both started to laugh.

“We have to get you out of here,” Harper said as she wrapped her arm around my torso and hoisted me up. My legs felt like two limp noodles—incredibly floppy, soggy, overcooked noodles, the thin, long kind. An older couple sold them at the market—what did they call it again? I thought about it hard, pushing my brain to its limits. I grinned. Ah yes, that was it! “Spaghetti,” I cried out triumphantly, nodding in satisfaction.

“Come on, Sage, work with me,” Harper said as she continued to heave.

“You there, brown-haired girl. Tell me, do you see a veil on her?” Arkyn asked, shaking his head as if he were seeing double.

I didn’t catch Harper’s reply because my body felt heavy and my head was—oh, my poor noodle legs. I jerked my head up, an important thought occurring. “Wait. Did anyone bring the sauce? Apparently, it is best served with sauce.”

“Ooo-kay then,” Harper said as she dragged me away from the tub.

“What about Arky-boy?” I protested.

“I’m fine. You can haunt me tomorrow, but only if you take off the veil,” he slurred, a splash of water sounding behind me.

“I’ll deal with him,” Harper said as she half led, half dragged me to the bed.

I fell into a cloud of warm, furry sheets, so soft they felt like heaven, even though they were sticking to my wet skin. My body shivered, although I did not feel cold—or at least, I did not think I was cold. How could spaghetti be cold?

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