Or guess how much I needed them all.
Wearing a wistful smile, as if she alone could sense the impending implosion within me, Helena started away, moving in the direction of the entrance to my chambers. And it spoke volumes that she was willing to return to the cage I’d put her in. Trust that I wouldn’t imprison her—try to imprison her—a second time.
“Oy, Helena,” Flora called, and the librarian stopped, peering back over her shoulder toward the fairy. “What’s it like down there? Grim never has any of us over.Ever.”
“It’s nice,” Helena said. “A little scary, but also… beautiful inside.”
Flora smirked and nodded. “I’d say that’s on brand.”
My head whipped back toward the fairy, who winked up at me.
When I glanced in Helena’s direction again, she’d already descended the corkscrew stairs.
“Good night, bright light,” said Pluto, the bird’s words almost doing the trick of unraveling me.
Steeling myself, trying to play it off like I wasn’t officially a flamingwreck, I left my scythe in its freestanding position and moved toward the Basins.
“Grim,” said Johann, following after. “You may not know this, but there was a woman in my past, too.”
“It’s not like that with Helena,” I lied. Sort of lied.
“Listen to me,” said Johann. “My biggest regrets, they all tie back… toher. And I can’t tell you what I’d give to have even one more day with her. I was so shortsighted. And hopelessly selfish. I should have realized what I had. By that time, I’d already sold my soul. Perhaps I wasn’t in the same position as you, but… Marguerite… Because of what I’d done, she and I were also destined to be parted forever. Point is… I should have… What I’m trying to say is that you should, while you can… I don’t know. Consider spending some time with Helena?”
Was he hearing himself? That was a disastrous idea. Spending time with Helena had so far only turned me into an obsessive, reckless-driving, kidnapping murderer with an insatiable and newly acquired appetite for her immortal soul.
Fuck me. Maybe vampiresweremisunderstood.
“Johann’s just saying that you should think about taking her out somewhere,” offered Flora. “Somewhere nice. Last I checked, Mr. McDead still had the company card.”
“Hey.” I whirled to aim a finger at her. “Speaking of, you’re on my shit list for that.”
Flora only grinned. “Took you decades to notice.”
“There’s bound to be some nice restaurants in the city where she lives,” mused Johann, which had me whirling on him next.
Was this really happening? Were they both seriously trying to talk me into taking Helena out? As in… on adate?
“Did you two half-wits forgetnoneof us are supposed to involve ourselves in the lives of the living?” I railed at them.
“At this point,” said Johann with a wave of one gnarled hand, “I’d say it’s in for a penny, in for a pound.”
“What the fuck isthatsupposed to mean?”
“It meanswe’renot going to tell anyone if you had some designs to go against the grain and live a little.” Flora folded her arms with a satisfied smirk.
“Make the date while fate is late,” chanted Pluto.
“She doesn’t like me like that!” I snapped at the three of them.
And why would she? I was a fuckingdead-ass skeleton.
More or less.
“Personally,” said Flora, shifting her weight to one foot, “I think it’s her skeleton in the closet that she does.”
“Shedidmention being impressed by your powers,” said Johann.
“?‘Smoke skills,’ she called them,” said Flora.
