I got out of the car to caws of greeting, and I opened the back door. Sebbie’s head lolled toward me, and he opened his eyes. Despite the exhaustion I saw, there was still such light and joy in his eyes. As if he could sense my thoughts, he gave me a small smile.
“I’ll get up in just a second, I swear. I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
Rather than answer, I scooped him up in my arms. He gave a little meep sound and wrapped his arms around my neck, but he didn’t protest. I walked up onto his porch, and when I got to the door, he said, “It’s unlocked.”
His head was leaning against my shoulder, and I used one hand from underneath him to turn the handle, trying not to jostle him despite the weird maneuver. When I got inside, I wasn’t surprised to see a warm, inviting home. I set him down on a comfy-looking gray couch that was covered in colorful afghans and blankets, resting him stretched out along it with his head on a pillow.
“Do you want to come in?” he asked.
I chuckled. It seemed a little late to ask that question.
“I mean,” he said, blushing a bit, “do you want to stay for a bit? Of course, you don’t have to. I’m sure you have things?—”
I cut him off. “I’d love to stay. Can I get you anything to drink or eat?”
He smiled again, but it was still tired-looking. “Isn’t that supposed to be my question?”
I bent down and took his shoes off, placing them next to the couch, and then I lifted his feet and sat down with them in my lap. He blushed but didn’t protest.
“You’re tired, and you’ve been through a lot. I’m happy to get you anything you need,” I answered him. “Or I’m happy to just sit with you, if that’s what you’d prefer. You can tell me about it, we can talk about something else, or I can just keep you company. Whatever you want, Sebbie.”
He smiled again—his smile really was like sunshine, so bright and beautiful–and he took a deep breath. His face turned serious, then, his eyes looking out across the room, although I could tell he wasn’t focusing on much.
I looked around as he gathered his thoughts. His living room had shelves filled with books and little knick-knacks. There were a few stones that looked familiar—ones that I’d started to work and hadn't finished because they’d disappeared from my workshop. Apparently, Crow thought they were worthy gifts as they were. I saw the stuffed crow I’d gifted him sitting on a shelf, too, along with various other things he’d obviously collected. Little signs, a glass figurine of an octopus, a frog sitting in a chair reading—all cute and quirky things that reminded me of Sebbie’s joyful spirit.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Sebbie said, drawing my attention back to him. “I think I’d like to talk about it, but it’s all a little crazy. And If I talk about it with Toby, he’ll be telling me I’m an angel or a warlock or something, and if I tell Josh, he’ll be up all night worrying about me.”
He was staring at me, almost like he was waiting for me to jump up and run off.
“I know that things happen sometimes that are… unexpected. You can tell me anything, and I won’t judge you or think you’re crazy. Sometimes the natural world is more mystical than people give it credit for.”
I rubbed his feet lightly, and I wondered if now would be a good time to tell him about his true nature.
“I don’t really believe in any of Toby’s stuff, you know? Not to be offensive, because I know you’re, like, Wiccan or a witch or whatever,” he rushed to add. “But that’s different. I’m sure you’re not out there casting magical spells or anything.” He chuckled lightly.
Okay, so clearly not the time to tell him he was actually the grim reaper and a ferryman. I doubted he would believe me if I did.
“I’m not offended,” I told him. “You can tell me anything, and I won’t run off. I promise.”
“People die around me all the time. I mean, it’s just because I’m a nurse and an EMT, but I’m starting to wonder if I have really bad luck,” he said.
It seemed off topic, but Toby and Josh had talked about some of his more disastrous dates. They said most people were scared off by Sebbie’s job.
If they only knew.
I simply smiled at him. “Trust me, I’m really not bothered by death at all. I’m quite comfortable with everything about it.”
That was probably an understatement, since I killed hellbound souls on a regular basis, but I thought we could ease into that. There was a lot that we needed to ease into, but I was happy to be sitting here with Sebbie, his feet held in my lap, his eyes focused on my face. We could take things as slow as he needed to, despite what the man in the black suit had said.
I was here. I would protect him. Even if I had to protect him from himself.
Chapter 10
Sebbie
Corbin was sittingin my living room with my feet in his lap.
Actually, he was gently rubbing my feet, which I really hoped weren’t stinky, and I had the urge to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t sleeping. Realizing I was in a house with a dead body and an unconscious man hadn’t been as surprising to me as this chain of events.
