“You didn’t want to choose to let people not cross the river, either, but you know what’s right. And if the choosing is too hard, I willalwaysbe here for you, Sebbie. I willalwayshelp you with the hard decisions. And I will love you no matter what.”
“Thank you, Corbin,” he murmured against me, his arms coming up to wrap around me.
“Thankyou, little reaper. Thank you for trusting me, and thank you for loving me. And thank you for saving all our lives back in that basement.”
Chapter 28
Sebbie
Corbin’s armwas around me, and we were back at his house, which was basically pack headquarters now. Everyone was bustling around, getting food—because theyalwaysseemed to be eating—talking on the phone, or working on computers. They were no closer to sussing out any danger to the sheriff, and I couldn’t tell them why I’d even said what I’d said. I knew, without a doubt, that the sheriff was a good man. He’d be a good passenger on my boat. I just didn’t want him there, because that would mean he was dead.
No one wanted the sheriff dead.
And then I’d be sitting there, listening to someone talk or just snuggling with Corbin, and I’d sort of zone out and images would just pop into my head. It was like I told Corbin—snapshots. Me standing over the son in that house, something in my hand, and the knowledge that I was going to take him instead. Me standing next to the guy in the ER, something in my hand again, looking down at him. I don’t remember feeling anything at all, just deciding that I was going to take him instead.
Instead of what?
I didn’t know. I blew out a breath, and Corbin gave me a squeeze. He was talking to Wilder, but his attention was always a little bit focused on me. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I wasn’t alone. Corbin was with me. I could take him anywhere with me, and I wouldn’t be alone.
It eased some burden that I’d been carrying.
I felt… funny. Not quite myself. I wanted to be back to cheery, happy, carefree Sebbie. I wanted to have a party boat across the river. I didn’t want to deal with people who were trying to cheat death, or make decisions about who should live and die.
I closed my eyes, leaning against Corbin. Everyone seemed to know I needed a little space today, and I appreciated it. Although, I had seen Toby playfully wiggle his eyebrows across the room. It had brought a smile to my face, which had made him grin wickedly. Yes, we’d definitely have to have a guy’s night soon where we gossipped about hellhound knots and tails.
I had the thought that us regular humans—Josh, Toby, Q, Aiden, and I—all needed to stick together, but then I remembered I wasn’t quite one of those regular humans. I was something else.
They wouldn’t care, though. I knew that, too. My friends wouldn’t treat me any differently. They’d love me no matter what.
And pretty soon, Paul would probably be added to that list, because no one seemed at all in doubt that the sheriff was Jude’s mate.
Paul. Sheriff Paul.
Crow cawed from Corbin’s room. I turned my head, and time stopped.
Literally, it stopped.
All sound stopped, like there wasn’t even air anymore. Everything was still, and everyone was frozen in place. Mid-sentence, mid-walk—it didn’t matter.
It was creepy.
I stood up, and I felt my cloak sway around me. I turned to look at the couch, and my body was there, frozen in place. Corbin was frozen, too, but he sort of looked at me, and I reached a hand out to him. He took my hand in his, only his hand didn’t exactly move? It was like a second Corbin came out of the first Corbin.
I pulled him up next to me, and he looked me up and down. I looked down at myself—I had on a black cloak, and a large scythe was in the hand that wasn’t gripping his.
Huh. That was kind of cool. A little dark, though. I mean, okay, I was apparently a grim reaper or whatever, but did it have to be so… foreboding?
I watched as the black slowly faded into a pale pink color. I looked over at my scythe, and it lightened from black into a pretty, sparkly, silver color.
Corbin grinned next to me. “Yes, that’s much more you, little reaper.”
I smiled. I felt… lighter.
Crow cawed again, and we walked into the bedroom, where she flew onto Corbin’s shoulder. I smiled even more broadly.
“You both came!” I said. My heart felt light and airy, joy running through me. “You’re both here.”
“Of course we are,” Corbin answered. Then he asked, “Umm, where is here, exactly?”
