Perhaps I wasn’t the only one involved in an office romance.
I switched off the flashlight on my phone, letting my eyes adjust to the dark. It didn’t take long before I noticed a door to my left.
I reached for the handle and turned it. Before stepping inside, I touched Cael’s shoulder to get his attention. “This way.”
“Donnie and his fucking need to control everything,” Cael muttered under his breath. He seemed to do that a lot whenever he talked about Donn.
We slipped into the room, and I gently closed the door behind us.
“Who’s there?” I recognized Phin’s voice at once.
Of all the places to find him, it was the supply closet. I’d find it funny if I weren’t so relieved. I had to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. Thank the gods, he was okay. “It’s me, baby.”
I took a step toward him, then remembered I was still holding my phone, so I turned the flashlight back on.
Phin’s eyes were wide, and he looked pale. I’d never seen him scared before, and I didn’t like it. “Ossy? Oh my God. You really are here.”
“I really am, baby.” I wrapped my arms around him. It felt like it had been forever since I’d been able to hold him. I never wanted to let him go ever again. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
He sagged against me, his arms wrapping around my neck, holding me almost as tightly as I held him. He rested his head on my chest, and we stayed that way for several long seconds.
It wasn’t until the door opened and then closed again that the moment broke. Cael had left the room.
“Who’s in here with us?” Phin asked.
“That was Cael. He came to help me find you.”
“They moved me into an executive assistant position.” Under normal circumstances, that would be a cause for celebration. It was technically a promotion, but all it brought was fear.
“Donn told me about beloveds.” Phin averted his gaze just before he stepped out of my arms. “I’m glad you found yours.”
I smiled even though Phin’s body language seemed off. “I am, too.”
I cupped his cheek, but he pulled away. Tension hung between us. I wasn’t sure of its cause.
I was about to ask him about it when Cael started yelling in the hall. The closed door muffled the sound, but it was still audible. “You were the first beloved! And you turned your back on me!”
I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t realized Cael and Donn shared a connection. There was a story there, one of rejection. That had to be heartbreaking for Cael. Poor guy. And for him to come help me save Phin, knowing he might have to face Donn. It made me see Cael differently.
I understood why Donn would find beloveds problematic. Already, the system that held together life and death was crumbling under the weight of the beloveds. It was changing the living realm. I could only guess what it was doing to the afterlife.
No one really knew what was happening on the other side, except maybe Donn and the souls there. In the living realm, souls were gathering. News stories about ghost sightings outnumbered those about the president. Everything was changing, and I wasn’t sure what it meant for our future. All I knew was that I had Phin close to me for the first time in what felt like forever, and I wasn’t about to let him out of my sight again.
The lights flickered, then came on. I turned off my phone’s flashlight.
Then the shelves shook.
Phin squeaked, stepping closer to me.
I wrapped my arms around him again and held him tight. “I’ve got you, baby.”
More yelling echoed down the hall, and then the lights went out again. Everything fell silent.
Phin pulled out of my arms. He scanned the room, including the ceiling, as if he expected it to crumble around us.
We needed to get out of there.
“Peek into the hall,” I whispered into his ear.
