“Let me get rid of that.”
Grabbing his tweezers, Oliver picked up the pearl of flesh and was about to drop it into a piece of gauze when the creature within thrashed. Green gunk showered onto the carpet as the tissue tore and a long, flat, flesh-colored worm slithered out. Felipe ripped his leg from Oliver’s lap and scrambled away as the worm writhed between them.
“Christ almighty, what is that thing?” Felipe cried.
Oliver shook his head in wonder. It looked far too big to have ever fit inside the welt in Felipe’s leg, but Oliver had seen it with his own eyes. When Felipe stifled a gag, the worm turned toward him and shot out a web-like proboscis. It trailed along the carpet like green lightning, leaving behind a halo of ichor. Before Oliver could move, the worm bolted toward Felipe. His eyes widened as he yelped and leapt onto the bed out of the way. Scrambling to his feet, Oliver dove in front of him. The worm reared back, and Oliver grabbed its head with his tweezers.
“Felipe, get the alcohol!” he whisper-yelled as the worm writhed and thrashed like a caught snake.
Grabbing the bottle of alcohol, Felipe set it at Oliver’s feet, uncapped it, and backed out of the way.
“When I get it in, put the stopper on. Quick.”
When Felipe nodded, Oliver silently counted to three and stuffed the worm’s head into the alcohol as far as it would go. As it struggled, he shoved the rest of it in with his tweezers inch by inch. Dark green venom plumed out of it, but by the time Felipe got the lid on, the creature had fallen still. The only sounds in the room were their huffed breaths as they stared at the bottle, waiting to see if the worm would come back to life. A small laugh escaped Felipe’s lips followed by another, and in seconds, he and Oliver were pressed close, stifling laughter at the absurdity of their night.
“I hate this fucking place,” Felipe whispered as he sank onto theedge of the bed.
“I promise I will never ask to go to a murder town ever again. In all fairness, necromantic ribbon worms were not something I had anticipated.”
“Is that what it was? Christ almighty.” At Oliver’s nod, Felipe sighed and stared at the green stains on the carpet. “I think we may owe Mr. Allen a new rug as well. At this rate, the Paranormal Society may as well renovate the whole inn.”
Rinsing his bloodied hands at the ewer and basin on the dresser, Oliver replied, “After last night, I think he earned it. Well, now that the thing is out, the nightmares and sleepwalking will hopefully stop. We should still be cautious tomorrow just in case.”
From the corner of his eye, Oliver watched Felipe as he dried his hands. There were so many things about his partner’s past that he didn’t know. The things he had heard about the Galvans seemed to be the opposite of everything he knew to be true about Felipe, but after what he had seen this past week, things were starting to click into place. Sitting beside Felipe, Oliver interlaced their fingers again and brought Felipe’s hand to his lips. The tether pulled tight beneath their hearts as Felipe’s eyes met his. He stared into their amber depths and thought of all the warmth and life Felipe had brought into his life since their lives intertwined that fateful night.
“I hope you know that I love you more than anything or anyone,” Oliver said softly. “I love you so much that sometimes it overwhelms me. There are times when I wake up and see you lying next to me, and I wonder how I got so lucky to have you in my life.” Taking a fortifying breath, Oliver squeezed Felipe’s hand. “When I told you about what happened to me when I was in medical school, you were so kind and understanding. I want to be that for you, Felipe, whenever you’re ready to talk about your parents or the demon or anything else. I just want you to know that I will always be here to listen to you and love you no matter what.”
Felipe gave him a watery smile and swallowed hard. “I love you too, Oliver. It’s not you. It’s just hard for me to talk about them formany reasons. I— I still worry you’ll find out more about my family or my past, and you’ll see me differently or love me less for it.”
“Considering my family made a deal with a devil, I don’t think I have much room to talk.” At Felipe’s mirthless laugh, Oliver cupped his cheek and swept his fingers into Felipe’s curls. “I loveyou, the man you are now and the man you’ll become as we grow together.You. I didn’t know the young man you were in your nightmares, but I think I would love him too. I love all of you.”
Felipe’s eyes glistened with tears, but Oliver drew him in for a kiss before they could flow. He held him close and listened to the steady tattoo of his heart. There had been too many close calls.
“Tomorrow, let’s have a picnic in the morning. It was going to be a surprise, but after all this, I would rather you look forward to it.”
“That sounds lovely, Oliver. Does Gwen know?”
“It was her idea. We’ll finish planning after, but the morning will be ours.”
Wiping his eyes against his shoulder, Felipe stood and shoved the gun into the drawer of the nightstand. “Here, let me help you clean up.”
“Leave it. As long as the worm is dead, I would rather deal with the mess in the morning. I think we could both use the sleep.”
Felipe looked like he wanted to object, but he nodded and shut off the lamp. Oliver tidied Felipe’s stack of pillows, and when the other man laid down, Oliver hunkered close to his elbow. While they couldn’t lie intertwined like they did at home until his collarbone healed a bit more, Oliver could at least sleep with his arm around Felipe’s waist. A hum of contentment vibrated across the tether as Felipe rubbed his thumb across Oliver’s skin and shut his eyes. Focusing on the tether, Oliver stoked his love for Felipe in hopes that his partner could feel it as he drifted off to sleep. He held him close, relishing the solid warmth of the other man’s body. No matter what monsters lurked in Felipe’s past, Oliver vowed to stand beside him and face them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Into the Dysterwood
Standing at the edge of the meadow, tucked just behind a scraggly bush, Oliver spread out the blanket he had borrowed from Mr. Allen and let out a contented sigh. It was perfect. It was cool enough to be pleasant with only their jackets on, the flowers were open and swaying in the breeze, and the shallow hole in Felipe’s leg had already closed overnight. If they were lucky, Felipe’s arm would be healed by the time they went into the Dysterwood on Sunday. Oliver glanced at his pocket watch. He had left Felipe at the inn to finish shaving and getting ready, but he would be there any minute. Reaching into the wicker basket, he quickly pulled out all the things he and Gwen had bought at the general store and pharmacy. It looked excessive, but Felipe deserved a treat. Oliver had arranged the crackers, jam, cheese, and peanut butter half a dozen ways on the blanket before he realized something was missing.
“The sodas,” Oliver said aloud. He looked around the empty meadow and the too quiet road, but there were no people or animals to speak of. If he ran back to the inn to collect them and Felipe, hedoubted anyone would bother their things, but one could never be too careful. Feeling around the bottom of the basket, Oliver pulled out the ring box. He bit his lip as he opened it, watching the sun gleam across the amber and gold.My light in the darkness. Felipe had proposed first, but still, he hoped he would say yes and that he liked the ring as much as Oliver liked his. Unlike so many things in his life, proposing to Felipe felt right. As he went to put the box in his pocket, a metallic click sounded behind him.
Oliver froze and turned, his heart pounding in his ears. Standing in the field of flowers at the edge of the trees was Daphne Stills. Leaves clung to her faded red hair and color rose in her cheeks as she pointed a gun at Oliver. Somewhere in the trees, he thought he heard the clink of glass and a gasp, but he didn’t dare turn his head to look.
“Give it to me,” she demanded. Flowers flattened beneath her feet as she drew closer. “Now.”
“Give what to you?”
