Page 214 of Love at First Fright

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Brad’s arms were strong. Powerful. The compressions went deep.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

I tilted Charlie’s head back, pinched his nose. Sealed my mouth over his and breathed.

His chest rose.

Again. Compressions. Thirty of them. Two breaths.

Again.

Nothing lasts forever, that’s what they all say

Again.

But I’d trade my soul to make you stay

Again.

In this moment, suspended in time

Where your heart beats in rhythm with mine

My throat closed. Hot tears streamed down my face.

Forever’s just a word until you find

Someone worth leaving the whole world behind

Charlie gasped.

His back arched. Eyes flew open—gorgeous blue drowning in confusion and pain.

“Brad?” he croaked.

I sobbed. Couldn’t form words. Just kept my hands on his chest, feeling the flutter of his heartbeat beneath my palms.

“Brad… You’re alive,” Charlie whispered. Blood trickled from his nose.

I opened my mouth. Brad’s voice came out—deep and wrong. “It’s me. It’s Bat.”

Recognition sparked. “Bat?” His hand lifted, trembling, to touch Brad’s hair. His fingers tangled in the short strands. “You saved me.”

“Always,” I promised. I leaned down and kissed his forehead, tasting salt and copper.

A shriek cut through the basement.

Evelyn pointed at something behind us, her face chalk-white.

That fucking PolterPulse. More sparks shot from its cracked casing, leaping to a pile of ancient cloth. The fabric caught instantly. Flames crawled across it, hungry and bright.

Smoke billowed.

The fire spread to wooden crates. Old furniture. A tapestry hanging on the wall.

“We need to get out of here!”