Magnus rounded the corner of the cemetery, his expression pained.
“Still waiting?” Magnus asked gently.
“Obviously,” Sven snapped, then his shoulders slumped. “She’s not coming, is she?”
“I don’t think so. No one is at her house either.”
“Well, tomorrow then. It’s hard to get away from her controlling father,” Sven explained.
Magnus nodded. “Of course. Tomorrow.”
Only Sven knew Magnus didn’t believe him. They were twins after all.
“Let’s go back to the cave.”
“Yes.”
It was so hard to walk away, but Sven kept going back every night, for years, waiting. It’s why there was an old legend about the persistent ghoul who waited every night in the cemetery. Frozen and on guard. The story morphed into him waiting to steal souls, but that’s how legends and old wives’ tales went back then. After the Great Revelation and when they came out, residents of Harmony Glen learned he was not some harbinger coming for their souls.
“She knows about the séance,” Mercedes responded, softly interrupting his thoughts. “She doesn’t remember much, and she’s been a bit flighty with me today, but she’s having a good spell. Whatever curse was placed on her, I’m hoping this séance will help. Something was done incorrectly and that’s why she’s a cursed ghoul, phantom, revenant, or whatever you call it, and can’t recall who she is or why she can’t be seen.”
“I just want this to work. I can’t remember the last time…” He dropped his head into his hands. He wanted to have hope again, but that was something he’d only just regained since learning the truth about what had happened to Flo.
Hope long since crushed when she wasn’t there that night. The night they were going to run away. His curse would’ve been lifted that night and he could have left with her. So she could be safe. Instead, her horrible father took it upon himself to hire witches to curse her, and he did nothing to stop it.
“What’s wrong?”
“I should’ve saved her that night. I swore to keep her safe.”
“Hey,” Mercedes said softly, coming around the other side of the reception desk. Her arm slipped around his shoulders. “You didn’t know, it was a different time. The point is, maybe now we can right some wrongs.”
Sven nodded. “You’re right.”
Mercedes gave him a side hug squeeze. “That’s the spirit.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to be a pun or something?”
“It is.”
“It was terrible.”
Mercedes chuckled. “Okay, you clean up the dining room. Get Magnus and the Sullivans settled and I’ll go grab Pearl and my stuff. This is going to go well. There haven’t been any explosions since Margaid’s wedding.”
“You better knock on wood,” Sven warned, teasing her.
Mercedes knocked on the wood paneling. “Happy?”
“For now.”
Mercedes kissed him on the cheek, gave him one last squeeze. “It’ll be fine.”
Sven nodded. He wanted to believe her, because he trusted his brother’s mate, but he had a hard time believing this would work. It just seemed too easy, and nothing about his existence so far had been easy.
Sven wasnervous about this séance. Even though he’d been pushing Mercedes for it since she told him Flo was in the house and trapped, he was incredibly apprehensive about it now that the moment was here.
They all sat around the dining room table. Only candles and firelight were flickering. Mercedes sat at the head of the table, looking decidedly nervous. He was sitting next to her, wondering if pressuring her to do this séance was the right thing.
Maybe it wasn’t.
