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Grabbing the paper, I walked back to Celeste and Ace. He had her resting on his leg, propping her up in comfort as red blood covered the front of his thighs. He looked up at me and nodded, and I nodded in return, kneeling down and meeting him at eye level.
“Ace,” I started, my voice unsteady. “This is yours.”
“What is?”
“This.”
I nodded my chin toward the window, and his eyes peered into mine, catching my implication but still unsure if I was serious.
“This is all yours. I trust you more than I trust anyone.”
Ace remained motionless and expressionless as I continued.
“After my parents died, and after everything fell into my hands, I created a will of my own. If anything were to happen, this was always meant to go to you.”
Stillness blanketed the room as Ace made no moves to respond.
“All I ask is that you take care of it. Live here. Start a family here. Keep it inyourfamily. Keep it with Mel, if she even wants it. And don’t accept any more souls.”
His eyes widened at my requests. “What do you mean, Cai?” Nerves and fear coated his tone. “This is yours. You own it.”
I shook my head. “Not anymore.”
And I meant it. Every part of me felt dead, and there was nothing in this world that could change that.
Grabbing Celeste’s hand, I could feel her heat dissipating. What once was a hand that held my own was now a hand that predicted her eternal future.
A future she asked for in her final, fatal words, and I’d be damned if I didn’t give her what she wanted.
“I want you to know, Celeste, I’ll give you everything you want. Anything, it’s yours.”
The memory of my words rang through my head as I gently moved her hand to her stomach, coating the skin in her fresh, vibrant blood. Her delicate fingers, ones that previously plucked flower petals, waved through warm bath water, and grazed upon my cheek, now rested in the liquid that committed her to me.
No. Not me. Ace.
Laying the paper on my thigh, I brought her hand to it and pressed it down, creating a perfect, clear print.
I exhaled and moved her hand down to her side. Looking back at Ace, who was still in a confused state of shock, I handed him the paper.
“Keep it,” I ordered calmly and seriously, referring to more than just the paper in his hand and the paper on the desk. Ace gave a single nod.
My one arm moved under Celeste’s upper back while the other slid in under her knees. I lifted her, standing to my feet,sure to keep her cradled and comfortable. A hiss of air squeezed out of her as I positioned her firmly against my chest.
I turned to leave my office when I heard Ace at my back.
“Cai…”
I ignored him as I walked down the windowed hallway, the heavy rain tapping the glass as I headed to the stairs.
Caius
As I ascended the steps, I could feel the atmosphere around me changing. As the veil was thinning, the air was thickening. Carrying Celeste in my arms, I could feel her body fall completely limp as her blood trailed under me. The red liquid was sliding down my pants, past my shoes, and onto the hardwood floor below. Her breathing was slow, shallow, and the final sign that there wasn’t much time left.
But as I landed on the top step, the feeling hit me. Each step had me closer to the end. I was walking in the space between life and death.
Between Earth and Purgatory.
Between her life and mine.
