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He swallows. “Came back. We never got the chance to discuss how I feel about you.”
I burst out laughing, the sound soft in the air. I’m smiling like a fool, joy spilling out of me like the sun. “Oh my god,” I cry out. Happy. So happy. “You’re here.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners. “I’m here.”
I can’t stop gawking at him, at this. At us.
He’s not dead.
He came back.
“So then tell me,” I say to him quietly, heart swelling. “How do you feel about me?”
He smiles, then it fades to something serious, running his thumb over my cheekbones, eyes sparkling with clarity. “I love you,” he whispers.
I feel like my face will split in two. “You love me.”
Now he’s smiling again, eyes searching my face. He bites his lip for a moment. “Yes, Ada. I’m in love with you. You’re my everything and my only thing and I love you.”
“You know I love you too, right?”
“I recall hearing that when I was someplace far away. Helped to pull me back. You, in love with me? Couldn’t pass that up.”
I laugh, leaning in and kissing him, tasting our tears, feeling the energy build again, letting it flow over us like champagne.
I can’t believe it.
I can’t believe it.
He’s still here.
“You faded away,” I say, pulling back, my lips grazing his chin. “Went missing. Just now. Where did you go?”
“It wasn’t to Hell. It was to a place I’d never been before. A place that made me realize that you couldn’t save me again. And I didn’t want you to. I had to save myself.”
And I had to do the same.
“Guess what?” I whisper to him, running my hands through his hair, picking out shards of glass.
“You love me?”
“I do.” I kiss him again. “But also, I killed Michelle.”
He closes his eyes, relaxes against the seat, a proud smile coming across his lips. “I thought you would.”
“And do you know how?”
“How?”
“I used your sword.”
He opens one eyes, peering at me. “You used Mjöllnir?”
I blink at him, taken aback. “You named your sword Mjöllnir? As in Thor’s Hammer? The Avengers?”
“Technically Norse history, but okay, The Avengers.”
“You mean Norse mythology.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Oh my god, don’t tell me you were a fucking Viking too.”
He grins at me, the smile lighting up his whole face, despite the blood running down the sides. “That was several centuries before I came into existence. But who knows, maybe a part of me did exist back then. I don’t really know how old I am.”
My mouth gapes. “You don’t really know? You could be older than you think?
He gives a slight shrug. “I know as far as I remember. Maybe I was a Viking. Would explain where the red hair came from.” He runs his hand over my head. “Anyway, I reckon if the sword let you wield it, then you were more than worthy of doing so. I never thought any different.”
“It was pretty badass,” I admit.
“Darlin’, I have no fucking doubt.”
I kiss him again, reveling in the feel of him, knowing how close I came to losing him, knowing how close he came to losing himself.
“So, now what?” I ask, looking around. “The Super B is totaled.”
“Yeah,” he says with a sigh. “Makes that crack in the windshield seem like nothing, doesn’t it?”
“So where do we go?” I look around. “I don’t think we’re in a great neighborhood. I haven’t seen a single person come out of their house to see if we’re okay.”
“That’s probably for the best. I guess we’ll just call an Uber.”
“They’ll come and get us here? With your sword?
“It’s New Orleans, sweetheart.”
“And then what?”
“I reckon we get to another hotel, then figure shit out.”
“But the car…”
“We had a good run,” he says. “But in the end, it’s just a car.”
I nod. I like this car a hell of a lot. It protected us to the end. But I guess it’s a material thing in the long run.
“Do you want to try and get up?” I ask him.
I step out of the car, back on the curb, trying to avoid the broken glass on my feet. I reach in and grab him by the elbows, helping him to his feet.
I stare up at him, holding onto his hand, still breathless at the fact that he’s here. “Do you hurt anywhere?”
He moves his head back and forth, stretching his neck. “Nah. I’m fine. I guess I’m immortal again.” He glances down at me. “You’re in worse shape than I am. We should take you to the hospital.”
I look down at myself. A horrific mess would be a mild way of putting it.
“You know what? I think I’ll be just fine.”
“Ada…”
“Max.” I give him a pointed look in return. “I’ll heal. Let’s just get out of here and find a place to crash. I think I could sleep for several days.” I lean into the car, looking around for my phone to call the Uber, hoping it wasn’t thrown and broken. I find it at the foot of the passenger seat.
