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A new Caley kneeled in front of me now. I liked this Caley. “If you would’ve come over any time before now, I might have either killed you or disowned you as a friend. I needed this time. So, thank you.”
“See, it was the right decision then. Maybe I should listen to him more often.” She grinned in the classic Caley way, full of spunk. “Or maybe not.”
She slapped my leg returning to her typical pushy attitude. “Get up and go get ready. I know Zach wants to talk with you.” She covered her nose with her hand. “And seriously, you stink.”
I thought too quickly. This was my best friend in spades. Instead of arguing that I wanted to stay on the couch and wither away from existence, I pushed the blanket off knowing she’d win anyway. If I didn’t go into the shower, she’d place me in there, so why fight it?
Maybe it was time to pull myself out of my slump, no matter what my heart told me. And as much as I hated admitting it, Dane had been right.
This hell, heartbreak, and sadness could’ve all been prevented. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with a ghost. I knew it when I met Kipp, and knew then the trouble that came along with it. Those were the repercussions of that choice and no matter where I ran they’d always follow.
But Caley was right too. I had a job to do. A demon to banish, even if that was crazy. I might want to hide from life, but life wouldn’t hide from me.
Chapter Eighteen
After my shower, I dried off, threw my hair up into a ponytail, and dressed in a pair of jeans and button down cotton t-shirt. I strode out of my bedroom and spotted Zach the minute I entered the living room.
“She lives.” He grinned, but beneath that smile held obvious sadness.
I returned the smile, hoping mine showed a little more oomph in it than what was going on inside. “I’m returning from the dead.” Not only returning from my mourning, but in truth I meant it. I was pushing the memory of Kipp aside. Leaving the dead behind me—for now—and returning to the real world.
Kipp had made his choice. I couldn’t control that I hurt him because he didn’t give me the chance to explain. I dropped down on the couch across from Zach and stuffed away the remaining despair that could very well cripple me forever.
Zach studied me for a long moment before he said, “Are you all right?”
“No.” Why lie? Everyone knew I wasn’t.
Zach paused, glancing at Caley, and they shared a troubled look before he turned toward me. “He’s an asshole for leaving you like he did. But I know Kipp. He’ll come back and have a good reason for the time away. Trust in that.”
Tears threatened to rise, but I fought against it. I needed—wanted—to be stronger than this. “No reason he gives will ever be good enough.” I glanced down at my hands, as the truth stared hard at me in the face. “I would never have done this to him. Left him like this, regardless of the situation.”
“And that’s what makes this all the more strange,” Zach said softly. “He wouldn’t have either.”
I lifted my head. “What do you mean by that?”
“Kipp might have been pissed off because he saw Dane kissing you, but he’s not the type to run and hide.” He stared at me pointedly. “Have you ever seen Kipp not confront anything?” No, in fact, I hadn’t. “If Dane pissed him off, he would’ve somehow confronted him, I’m sure of it.”
“He was so mad, though.”
“I have no doubt he was,” Zach countered. “And that makes sense. Why he left you when he did, but the Kipp I know wouldn’t have left you like this. He would have returned and fought for you.”
That’s exactly what broke my heart. “But he didn’t.”
Zach’s lips thinned, though, he did nod in agreement. “That’s what I find so strange. Something doesn’t seem right. He
would’ve come back for you, Tess.”
“He didn’t,” was all I said again.
Silence fell between us. What else could be said? Zach might think he knew Kipp. Even I thought I knew him. But he had in fact walked away from me, went into the Netherworld, and hadn’t returned.
I drew in a deep breath to gather myself, and pushed the broken pieces of my heart down inside of me needing to move on. “I assume you’re not here to talk about this and I’m guessing you’re here to talk about the demon.”
I quickly glanced at Caley, but no emotion showed on her face besides compassion for me, which meant Zach had told her about our situation.
Zach hesitated in obvious reluctance to change the subject, but he eventually said, “After Dane returned to the station and told us what happened, he returned to the house and provided more solid protection to keep the demon locked down.”
“Yeah, I noticed that when I went there.”
