Page 85

"The connection," I explained. "It becomes stronger whenever you're close to me."

Her green eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yes. It's almost as though your magic is helping to draw the two halves of me together."

She looked thoughtful.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I am a Veil Witch, after all."

"Indeed, you are," I said quietly.

I looked at her for a long moment, wondering whether she had any idea what she'd accomplished. For a century, my body had lain upon that stone table without a heartbeat or a breath. I'd wandered through my own house as a helpless spirit, unable to touch the world of the living or enjoy the simple pleasures which I'd once taken for granted.

And now, because of Celeste Kinderson, my heart was beating again. My lungs were filling with air, and my spirit was finally being drawn towards the physical form which had been denied to me for so long.

I couldn't begin to imagine how I would ever repay her for such a gift.

"Celeste," I said softly, taking her hands in mine. "Do you understand what you've done?"

She looked up at me, frowning a little.

"Well, I helped you break part of the curse, I guess."

"Much more than that, sweetheart," I told her. "You've given me back something I thought was lost forever. For a hundred years, this body has lain here without a heartbeat or a breath. And now, because of you, it's alive again. I’m alive again."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Garrik," she whispered. “I just wish we could have broken the curse completely. I feel like I’ve failed you.”

“You haven’t failed me—you’ve brought me back to life.” I drew her into my arms and held her close, burying my face in her soft hair. "Thank you, sweetheart," I murmured. "From the bottom of my heart."

And for the first time in a century, I could say those words knowing that somewhere inside my physical body, that heart was actually beating.

She wrapped her arms around me and held me just as tightly.

"You're welcome," she whispered. "I'm so glad I could help—I just wish I could have finished the job."

We remained that way for a long moment, standing beside the marble table with the eerie blue light from the Gateway casting strange shadows across the floor. I could feel my body's steady heartbeat pulling at me, almost like a promise and I could feel Celeste's warm little hands resting against my back.

Both sensations were extraordinary—both were things I'd thought I'd never experience again. But as I held her close, I realized that something had changed inside me during the past few hours.

For a hundred years, I'd longed for nothing more than to return to my physical body and resume my life. I'd dreamed of being able to walk in the sunlight again, eat a good meal, and feel the warmth of a fire upon my skin. And now, suddenly, those things seemed almost within reach.

But there was something else I wanted, too…something which frightened me far more than the prospect of spending another century as a ghost.

I wanted Celeste to stay.

I wanted her laughter filling the halls of Blackthorn Manor and her bright green eyes looking up at me across the breakfast table. I wanted to walk with her through Lucinda's old garden and show her all the beautiful places in Hidden Hollow which she'd barely begun to discover.

I wanted to hear her complaining about my house rules and arguing with Bartleby and telling me about all the strange things she'd bought at that ridiculous grocery store.

But most of all, I wanted to hold her in my arms like this every night for the rest of my life…which was an utterly absurd thing to want, considering that I'd only known her for a day. But there it was—the simple, undeniable truth.

I was falling in love with Celeste Kinderson, and I hadn't the slightest idea what to do about it.

Because even if we managed to break my curse completely…even if I somehow returned to my body and became a living man again, there was one problem which no amount of magic could solve.