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"My dear lady, you have no idea," I informed her.

She laughed again and I kissed her once more, cupping her face in my hands, simply because I could.

It was an intoxicating feeling, being able to touch her so freely. Every time her hands rested against my skin, my spectral form grew warmer and more solid, until I almost forgot that I wasn't a living man at all.

But eventually, Celeste drew back and looked at me with a slightly nervous expression.

"Um, Garrik? I guess we should probably get on with the spell, huh?"

"Only if you're quite certain you wish to," I told her.

She nodded.

"I am. Really."

I searched her face for any sign of uncertainty, but although her cheeks were pink, her green eyes were steady.

"Very well," I said at last. "Then come here, sweetheart."

I led her over to the bed and sat beside her, taking both her hands in mine. The red velvet counterpane was soft beneath us, and the fire I'd lit in the little bedroom fireplace crackled cheerfully, casting dancing shadows across the walls.

For a moment, I simply looked at her, trying to commit every detail of her lovely face to memory. The long brown hair with its striking silver streak, the little lines at the corners of her eyes when she smiled, and the generous curve of her lips which I'd just discovered were even sweeter to kiss than I'd imagined.

She was a beautiful woman, and I couldn't understand how that fool of a former husband had ever let her go.

"Celeste," I said quietly. "I want you to know that whatever happens tonight, you have my deepest gratitude. Not merely for attempting to break my curse, but for giving me something I never expected to experience again."

She frowned slightly.

"What's that?"

"The pleasure of being close to another living person," I told her. "You cannot imagine what it's been like, spending a hundred years watching the world go by without being able to touch any part of it."

Her expression softened.

"Oh, Garrik," she whispered. "That must have been so lonely."

"Indeed, it was." I gave a rueful little smile. "Though I scarcely realized how lonely until you came along and began turning my household upside down."

She laughed.

"Well, you're welcome, I guess! And I have to thank you for making my hum-drum life exciting again.”

I smiled and lifted one of her hands to my lips, kissing her knuckles.

"You are most welcome, sweetheart," I murmured.

For a moment, she simply looked at me. Then she squeezed my hand gently.

"You know, you're not the only one who's been lonely," she said softly.

I looked at her in surprise.

"Surely not? A lovely woman like you? Do you mean you were lonely after your divorce?"

She shook her head and gave me a sad little smile.

"Even before my divorce. Being married doesn't always mean you're not lonely, you know. Sometimes it just means you're lonely with somebody sitting right beside you."