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I laugh and reach over, tracing the silver lines down his arms, all the way to his hand. I wrap my fingers around his, relishing the feel of his skin against mine. “Your lines haven’t glowed once,” I say. “I wonder what that means?”
“Perhaps no one is dying while I’ve been in this world,” he muses. “Wouldn’t that be something? A blessing, really. That way, ifKaaoshappens, no one will be hurt.”
“Except for all of humanity inside the City of Death already,” I say.
He frowns and sighs. “Yes. Except that.”
“But maybe in the meantime, everyone on Earth is immortal. Can you imagine, death being put on hold temporarily?”
He purses his lips and considers it. “I wonder if anyone would notice here. I suppose not for a while, but it would be noticed in Tuonela. Lovia and Tuonen must realize something is happening. Fuck. I wish I could let them know what’s happening. I hope it’s not too late.”
“On the plus side, at least we know that time over there is barely moving,” I point out. “When we get back, we might have only been gone a day at the most.”
“A lot can happen in a day if the Old Gods are raised,” he grumbles. “And if Louhi resurrects her father, Rangaista, which I am sure she will, then…”
I lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “Then it’s best we get started on finding our way back. We’ve already slept half the day away.”
“That can’t be,” he says with a groan as he slowly sits up and I climb out of bed. “Why am I so tired then?”
“Because this world is particularly tiring,” I tell him, grabbing some clothes and heading into the washroom. When I’m done washing up and getting dressed, I come back out to find him still totally naked and trying to fiddle with the Nespresso machine.
I sit on the armchair and ogle his ass for a bit while he struggles with the coffee maker. Fuck, is he ever built like a god. Strong, muscular thighs, solid round ass with just enough bounce. I just want to crawl over there on my hands and knees and bite him, lick the silver lines wherever they lead.
Yet, I know that would lead to sex, and in another world, we’d spend all day in bed fucking, but right now, we have a job to do.
So I help him with the coffee machine, promising him that once we leave the hotel, we’ll stop by a shop and get him a proper cup. While it whirs and pours, I get to work on my phone.
It’s damn hard not to get swept away with the internet. I know it has only felt like a few months while I’ve been at Shadow’s End, but that’s still a long time to go without checking your Instagram or Google news feed, and now, I have a whole year to catch up on.
Somehow, I stay focused. I still can’t find much information about my father—the last stuff was him working at the resort before he “died.” But searching through Facebook and then old emails, I was able to find out that my Uncle Osmo lives in Helsinki, working as a journalist for a local paper. My father had even emailed me his address once in case I wanted to come visit, his way of wanting to see me without any added pressure.
I stare at my father’s email for a moment and the phone number in his signature. If I emailed him, would he believe it’s me? If I called him, would he have a heart attack?
I decide to risk it and call him. I wanted to see him in person so he could see my face, so he could believe his daughter wasn’ta ghost, but he should recognize my voice. Maybe I don’t have to bother with my uncle at all.
But when I call the number, some robotic voice comes on in Finnish and then hangs up. Obviously, his number has since been changed or disconnected.
I glance out the window. Even though it’s only three, it’s starting to snow, and darkness is descending on the city. I’d forgotten how early the night comes here in the winter.
“I have a plan,” I tell Tuoni, who by now has put some clothes on and become less of a distraction. “I tried to call my father, but I don’t think his number is in service. I could email him, but I fear he’ll treat it as a joke, and it will only hurt him. But I do have my Uncle Osmo’s address here in the city. He’s not too far. Let’s get something to eat, get a coffee, and then wait until he’ll probably be home from his job and pay him a visit.”
Tuoni slowly nods, grooming his beard with his hands and making a small braid down the middle. “Isn’t your uncle going to be shocked to find his dead niece on his doorstep?”
“He will be. He might call my mother. He might call the police. I don’t want either of those things to happen. That’s where you come in.”
He grunts. “You want me to use my powers to influence his mind.”
“Exactly. You’re so good at it.”
One shoulder lifts in a shrug as he finishes the braid. “I am. Let’s just hope there are no dire consequences. We haven’t even checked on the secretive guy to see if his mind still works properly.”
Secretive guy? Oh right, the front desk clerk.
But when we leave the room and I ask the front desk clerk where to find good coffee, he’s pleasant, if not bland, and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him that wasn’t already wrong with him yesterday.
We exit the hotel and walk a couple of blocks until we come to the city’s famous Fazer café. The moment we step inside, Tuoni’s eyes light up like the Fourth of July. There are rows and stacks of colorful cakes, pastries, and desserts as far as the eye can see.
“We’re eating here?” he asks in awe, and I have to giggle at how overjoyed he seems.
