“Neither would I. I’m glad you were there for her.”
“Thanks for telling the hunters not to banish me.” He cupped his hand on one side of his mouth, like anyone other than Ricky and I could hear him, and fake whispered: “That salt won’t banish me.”
“How do you know?”
“I was haunting a hole-in-the-wall bar, Brogan. A lot of salt gets spilled in places like that.”
I laughed, which only encouraged him.
“Pretzels get thrown at people on the regular. Salted peanuts too. Don’t even get me started on the one-dollar margarita night. No ghost with any brains would stay in that kind of hostile environment if salt bothered them.”
“Val say something?” Lu asked.
“He fought the Hush for you.”
“I know. I thanked him for that. I told him I owe him a favor.”
I stopped, and it took Lu three more steps before she looked back. “What?”
“You know he’ll just hang around waiting to collect.”
And oh, how she smiled. “I happen to enjoy the company of incorporeal men.”
I scowled, and she widened her eyes in mock innocence.
“Oneincorporeal man,” I said. “You enjoy the company of one.” I pointed at my chest, and then she was there, in my space, her hand over my heart.
“You’re not incorporeal now,” she said. “You are solid. Alive.” I heard the words, and I heard what was behind them. She was claiming me. Claiming her right to this life we had fought so hard for. The realness of it. The togetherness.
“I’m not going to leave you, Lu. Not ever.”
She tipped her chin in just the slightest of nods.
“Val said he’s not afraid of salt,” I said, changing the subject.
“Josie’s going to be disappointed,” she said.
“Josie ain’t got no time for ghosts,” Josie called from ahead of us. Then, within a few more steps, we all fell silent.
We were at the cavern opening. This was the breath before we stepped off the edge of the world, the airlock before we threw ourselves into the void. This was our last second of sunlight, of green.
Our bonds glowed with power, gold as sunlight, strong as hope, burning with violet fury. There was moonlight in it, too—our fondness for Abbi, who had, in her own way, tied us together. The little rabbit from the moon, who we would not leave behind, alone in the dark.
Summer’s back was to the cave entrance, Cove stood next to her.
Summer crossed her fingers and held it over her heart. Maybe for luck. Maybe the sign language sign for the letter “R” for Riggs. The Riggs still in human form made the sign back to her.
Cove threw his own gesture, dragging his thumb across his forehead, back to his temple. The Kearney’s echoed the sign.
Silent as hope, the werewolves slipped into darkness.
Chapter Sixteen
Elmer adjusted the sling on the shotgun he’d insisted on bringing. “Go on,” he said, as Lu and I passed. “We’re with you.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. His hand was warm and strong. The assurance in his eyes was that of a hunter who had waded into the nests of too many strange creatures to count.
A hunter who had gotten out alive. He seemed younger, suddenly stronger. I could see the hunter he had been over the years: smart, solid, steady.
