Felix twitches then falls through the table. He questions from the floor, “When did Connor start talking in complete sentences?”
“It’s a newer development,” I tease, flashing the man in question a humored smile. He gives me a small one in return.
“Will this harm you?” Kaleb asks, placing a hand on my shoulder. He’s so warm, I want to crawl into his lap, but this might not be the best time for that.
“No,” Connor and Donovan answer in unison, and I snort while the others look at the two suspiciously.
“I shouldn’t try this on entire cemeteries or anything,” I concede, drawing Kaleb’s attention back to me. “But in this instance, I’ll be fine.”
“Great, so you figured out how to keep him alive,” Nolan states, collapsing into one of the unoccupied chairs. “But how do we get him into the body in the first place? I’m pretty sure it isn’t as easy as Felix laying down in a corpse.”
“If I had a gag reflex… or a stomach, I would have vomited in my mouth a little,” Felix voices from his place under the table, then stretches out on the floor.
My eyes drift to Donovan when I share, “There’s a spell in my mother’s grimoire that blends two souls into one body—one of the souls belonging to the witch that casts the spell.” I let my gaze drift over the others, settling on Nolan—the person who fears magic the most. “It wasn’t meant for this purpose, but I’m sure I can use it. I’ve become an anchor for Felix, which means we’re already connected. Using the spell, I’ll blend Felix’s and my souls together then infuse us both into the body. Once I’ve repaired any damage, I’ll leave Felix and part of myself behind. It’ll be like he never died.”
“And you’resureyou can do this?” Nolan emphasizes, his hands lying carefully flat on the table.
“I’m sure,” I state firmly. Choosing to take Donovan’s advice to always be myself, I reach over and squeeze Nolan’s hand. “It’s going to work.”
He nods, then his gaze trails along the stacks of notes and books. “Looks like these were all a waste.”
“Not a waste. Proof,” I murmur, trading a look with Kaleb.
“So now all we need is a body,” Felix concludes, his voice sounding far away, but I can’t tell if it’s shell shock from the knowledge that we now know how to bring him back to life, or unease about how I have to do it.
“Already have one,” Kaleb murmurs, using his free hand to rub at his eyes. There’s a weariness and weight to how he sits back in his chair. The moment has come where our quest is no longer speculation, but something achievable that is waiting to happen.
“You do?” Felix exclaims, standing up in the middle of the table.
“Andrew McGowen,” I announce, chewing on my lip and fidgeting with the towel hanging over my shoulders. “He’s nineteen and has a rare form of fungal meningitis. His condition has reached a point that it isn’t a matter of will it kill him, but when.”
“You went back to the hospital,” Kaleb accuses, pulling away and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Only a couple of times just to check on him and visit with Ruth and Dorothy,” I confess, as a small ache blooms in my chest, but it’s pronounced enough for Connor to look at Kaleb more closely.Damn mate bond!“I promise I didn’t heal anyone.”
“You came when I wasn’t there,” he notes, hurt prevalent in his deep baritone.
“You were avoiding me,” I reply softly, cautiously laying my hand on his bicep. “You also kind of banned me from there.”
“Is that why we never take her to the hospital?” Nolan scoffs with a cutting edge.
“Not helping,” I sing, making sure not to break eye contact with Kaleb. I know how important it is to him when we talk.
“How did you get Ms. Dorothy to keep your secret?” he questions, his fingers splaying far enough over his arm to touch the tips of mine.
Leaning into him, I stage whisper, “I told her it was part of my master plan to get you to ask me out. Absence making the heart grow fonder. She had a wide variety of suggestions on how I should ignore you in alluring ways.”
He chuckles and smiles wide enough to crinkle the corners of his eyes. A real smile.
“As fascinating as that all is, you all just picked out my body and didn’t think to tell me,” Felix interjects, pacing around the kitchenette and through anything standing in his way. “Do I get to see who I’m going to be for the rest of my reborn life?”
“So you can feel bad for the guy and get cold feet? Hell no,” Donovan argues, hopping down from the counter. “Beggars can’t be choosers. You get what you get. It’s not like Twin Cedar Pass has teenage corpses lying around for you to choose from.”
“Calm down, man. Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?” Nolan defends, rising from his chair.
“No, I’m not,” Donovan challenges, striding across the room. “This isn’t a fucking game, and Callie is risking a lot to make this happen. It’s this body or not existing, so it’s better he doesn’t get attached to the person currently inside it.”
“Donovan…” Kaleb says his name like a warning.
