“Ready for sleep?” I ask when the comb runs smooth through her hair, smirking because despite her best efforts, she’s starting to nod off sitting on the counter.
“Mmm,” she hums as her form of yes.
“Hold on tight,” I instruct, wrapping her arms and legs around me, then lift her up off the counter. She sighs contently, dropping her head to my shoulder.
When I open the door, Mildred is waiting on the other side with an expression of‘I thought I said be quick’on her face, but she merely runs her hand over Callie’s hair and wishes us both goodnight. Hard to yell at me when I have Callie half asleep in my arms.
I stagger down the hall, my own exhaustion kicking in, and when I reach Callie’s room, I don’t turn the light on, knowing the general direction of her bed. I’m so tired, I don’t bother to put her down. Just flip the blankets back and lie down with her on my chest.
Callie doesn’t seem to mind, snuggling against me with her face pressed to my neck, and her arms and legs tucked on either side of me.
“When the nightmares start,” she murmurs against my skin. “Talk to me. Doesn’t matter what. Just need to hear your voice.”
Running a single hand up and down her back, I suggest, “How about I read to you?”
“My book is in my backpack downstairs,” she grumbles like she’s trying to gather the energy to move.
“Not necessary,” I reply, holding her close to keep her still. This night is the longest I’ve held her in my arms, and something I’ll likely deny to myself in the morning, but I don’t want to lose a single moment of it. “I have near perfect memory, remember.”
“Oh… right,” she sighs, her breath warm and her lips soft. “You wouldn’t happen to want to read to me now? Is it still reading when you’re reciting?”
“Shhh,” I chuckle, reaching for one of her hands and entwining her fingers with mine. “How aboutPride and Prejudice and Zombies? Elizabeth and her sisters are infamously talented zombie hunters.”
“Nice,” she breathily laughs. “Alright, tell me the tale of Elizabeth kicking zombie butt and the man that fell in love with her.”
And that’s what I do. Drifting in and out through the night at the barest shift in her breathing or whimper of distress, I recite a few more pages of how Mr. Darcy, entranced by her skills as much as her looks, falls in love with a woman as capable as he and how he can’t live without her.
Epilogue
Felix
It’s an hour until dawn, and Callie shifts in her sleep, making a quiet hum of distress. Kaleb drowsily runs his hand over her upper back and mumbles something until she settles. Connor huffs and kind of nuzzles her lower back, fast asleep on top of them in his wolf form.
He showed up about two hours ago with two wolves in tow that are now sleeping on the front porch. It seems counterintuitive to what Kaleb mentioned earlier about not wanting the pack near Callie and Mildred, but I guess, two wolves is better than the whole lot of them camped out on their doorstep.
Donovan and Nolan are passed out on the floor, D’s wing still splinted. Nolan is curled next to him almost completely covered by the uninjured wing except for his feet poking out the bottom.
Sitting on Callie’s desk with my hands braced on either side of me, I swing my feet back and forth, my heels going through the drawers instead of bouncing off them. I sigh and look back to the bedroom door, except about an hour ago it stopped being a door that led to the hallway. Now it’s all shiny with golden light and is open to what I guess is paradise. I thought there’d be more clouds. Instead, it’s all tropical beaches with white sand, thick and colorful plant life, and a winding path like something out ofThe Wizard of Oz. Maybe the living on clouds thing comes after meeting HR and deciding if it’s all pearly gates or fire and pitchforks.
It makes sense my door is here, I suppose, since the demons that killed me and my family were seriously murderized and sent back to hell. Mystery solved. Justice served. Except, I still feel like I have unfinished business here. My friends’ lives have all been turned upside down. Nolan’s still cursed and now Gina’s turned everything up to eleven. Demons are coming for Donovan. Connor’s dad died making him the Alpha now. And Kaleb is turning into a completely different person. I can’t abandon them now.
Then there’s Callie. She’s just starting to unpack all the crazy shit that’s happened to her and is still happening. She’s still learning how to laugh. She’s… the only girl I’ve truly loved. And… I can feel her. Not just in her dreams, but right now. I don’t know how or when, but she’s become a new anchor. A feeling of comfort and warmth that draws me, and with a single thought, I’m at her side. Then there was the weird cold tingling feeling when my arm went through her. That has to mean something right?
I hop off the desk and march across the room, standing about five feet from the door. My gaze swaps from the golden paradise to my friends asleep and back.
“Who says no to paradise?” I mutter, gripping and tugging on my hair, which doesn’t do much for stress when I can’t feel any of it.
Flopping my hands to my sides, I start pacing, doing odd patterns so I don’t walk through anyone… or too close to the door.
“Okay. I’m a logical guy. Just do a pro and con list,” I sigh after a few laps. “Whichever has the most points wins.”
I turn my back to the door, not wanting its shiny goldness to lure me close.
“So, pros… pros… Well, the obvious one is seeing my family again,” I whisper to myself, counting on my fingers. “Two, getting to interact with stuff and not fall through them. Three, not invisible anymore. Er… four, eventually being reborn? That’d be cool, right?”
My eyes sweep through the room, resting for a moment on each of my friends. “Con, when/if I’m reborn, I wouldn’t have my memories. Yeah, same soul, but is it really me if all that makes memeis gone? And what does it matter if other dead people can see me, if the people that really know me can’t? It’s not like I’m really great at making new friends… except for Callie. But she’s different.” I assert to… no one. “And what if my parents are already reborn? Then they won’t know or care if I’ve made it to the afterlife”
Or they’re there waiting for me and refusing to be reborn until I get there.
