“I could never leave you, Cleo.”
“But you did.”
“Not forever—I won’t do that to you. I promise.”
I thought he left for good. Everything is so jumbled in my head right now that I can hardly think straight.
“I’ve made my choice. I’m not going anywhere, angel.”
Exerting so much energy into this has drained me.
I continue to weep, then melt into his strong arms, savoring the warmth of his strong embrace. Something about him disarms me. As different as we are, it’s like he truly understands me. I find myself comfortable sharing more with him than anyone I’ve ever known.
Twenty-Four
Kai
Ican’t put my sheer anguish into words right now. The last time I felt even remotely close to how I’m feeling right now was the first time I visited my sister after my death. But somehow, this is a thousand times worse than that.
I lift her and gently set her down on the brown plush sofa in the living room, then sit on the ground in front of her, rubbing her forehead. Her eyes haven’t opened since I pulled her against me. I grit my teeth at the sight of tears cascading down her cheeks.
I’d be lying if I said I was totally cool with this. No, I want to pry. I want to knoweverything.
For starters, I need to know what thefuckhappened to her midnight-blue wings.
Earlier, when I watched her embrace the rain with open arms, I rejoiced in the warmth of her smile.
Now, her pain is my pain.
With Cleo, I find myself not wanting to run away, which is shamefully uncharacteristic for me. Instead, I’m drawn closer to her.
Our emotions are tangled in a web I don’t want to escape from.
It’s terrifying.
But it’s also everything.
Something pivotal has shifted between us tonight.
I can’t believe she thought I left her for good… I mean, I considered doing that for a millisecond just because I assumed her afterlife would be ten times better without me in it. I screw everything up anyway. But after tonight, it’s clearer than ever that we’re both in this together.
She shared that this place triggers her, too. What is triggering about this lake house? It must remind her of something from her mortal life. I can’t help but wonder if this may be part of the reason she refuses to visit this realm for leisure.
The chattering of her teeth snaps me out of my spiraling mind and sets me into motion immediately—she needs a damn blanket. This old, quiet little lake house is way too drafty.
Okay, I know,I know.Angels can’t get cold, but my girl’s trembling, and although I’m 99 percent sure she’s having an emotional reaction to something, there is a 1 percent chance she’s freezing. I’m not taking any chances.
I rise to my feet and turn to walk away when a hand grips my wrist firmly. “Please don’t leave.”
“You’re stuck with me. Sorry, not sorry. I’ll be right back.”
I lift her hand to my lips and kiss it. All the while, her eyes are still closed.
She doesn’t say anything. She releases my hand and nods absentmindedly, her cheeks still wet.
I walk upstairs and spend a whole two minutes considering grabbing the master bed’s entire comforter before deciding the lake house owners must have less bulky blanket options availablesomewhere. Upon reaching the foot of the stairs, I check the hallway closet. Sure enough, I spot a few knit blankets. Thank heavens.
I grab a couple and shut the wooden door, heading back into the living room when something catches my eye. I step closer to the dining room wall to get a closer look and notice carved markings in the trim. They’ve been painted over, but they look like height measurements. I run my fingers along the marks, my eyes fixating on them. While running my fingers over the marks, I notice letters carved into the wood, too. I squat and squint my eyes, attempting to make out the writing.
