I looked around, Corbin’s hand still in mine. He wasso warm, and his hand was a solid presence in this place where nothing was ever truly there.
“I’m not really sure. I can remember now that I’ve been here before, but I really didn’t like coming here. I think I came here when we were in the basement, and I think after that, too. But I didn’t like it here,” I answered. I knew I sounded a bit like a little kid, but Ihadn’tliked it here.
“Why not?” Corbin asked.
I thought about that, trying to pin down the feeling. “Hmm. It was lonely. No one else was ever here, not really. And I knew I was here to work, and I didn’t always want to do what needed to be done.”
“Then why come here?” Corbin asked.
“I couldn’t help it. After the first time, in the basement, I couldn’t help coming here. I had to. It just sort of… happened, and I was here. The memories are still a little hazy, but it feels real now, with you here,” I answered.
“Why do you have to be here, Sebbie?” Corbin asked.
I turned toward him, a little surprised he didn’t know. “Because Sheriff Paul is about to die, and I’m not going to let him.”
Corbin’s eyes widened, and I felt his entire body tense. “When? Where? We have to get there!”
I patted his arm with the hand that was holding the scythe, making sure to keep the pointy parts away from him. “Eh, when is irrelevant. Time and space have no meaning here. We’re not on the mortal plane anymore, and we can’t influence things there. They can’t influence us, either, though. Not that I care to stick around,” I continued. “It’s kind of eerie how quiet and still it is, right?”
Corbin looked around, seeming to really notice things for the first time. “Yes,” he said slowly. “None of the elements are here. I can feel… nothing.”
I nodded my head. “Exactly.” Then a thought occurred to me. I’d been so happy to have Corbin with me that I hadn’t even considered his feelings. “You know, you don’t have to stay here. I know it feels kind of awful and weird and uncomfortable, and I can put you right back in your body.”
Corbin pulled me into a hug, and I swung my scythe arm out, making sure not to nick him. He squeezed me tightly, saying, “Ofcourse I want to stay. I want to be with you, no matter where that is. Always, Sebbie.”
Aww. He really was so freaking sweet. I pulled back and smiled at him. “You know, I think I’m going to be okay now. I didn’t feel that way before, but now, with you here, it all feels a little better, you know?”
“I’m glad, little reaper, because I want you to bring me with you wherever you go. I love you, no matter what.”
Warmth flowed through me, and I realized how cold I always was. Corbin always made me warm, though.
We pulled apart, and for the first time, I noticed a tarot card on the ground. The whole deck was scattered on the floor like it had fallen, but one card was face up, and it seemed brighter than anything else in the room.
It was a heart pierced by three swords. It was cloudy and raining, and the bright red heart stood out against the gloom. I looked over, and Corbin was staring at the card, too, his face grumpy.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Apparently my mother’s deck has something to say even within this plane of existence. It’s the three of swords. It symbolizes painful memories, sadness, and sorrow. It isn’t all bad, though, because it signifies that if you accept these emotions, then you can heal. It shows the importance of cleansing these sorrows from your heart.”
Wow. Okay. That sounded really freaking fitting. Apparently, I needed to deal with my painful memories or sorrow or whatever it was.
I noticed another card face up, further back. This had a guy in a green tunic standing on a pretty field—because the guy was the biggest part of the card—and he was holding a star or something in his hand.
“What about that one?” I asked Corbin.
Corbin looked where I pointed, and he muttered, “Cheeky deck,” under his breath. Then he explained, “That’s the page of pentacles. It’s showing a connection to the earth that he’s standing on, but his gaze is focused on the pentacle. He has vision and can achieve what he sets out to do. It means you should listen to your intuition and let it guide you.”
“Huh,” I said. “That’s really freaking cool. I just wish my intuition would tell me exactly what I need to do.”
Corbin put his arm around me, surrounding me in warmth. “You’ll figure it out, Sebbie. I have faith in you. You’re not alone.”
I took a deep breath. He was right. Crow gave a little coo, and I looked at her. She ruffled her feathers, as if to remind us that we had somewhere to fly to. “Yes, let’s not dawdle. I don’t love being here, either, but we have work to do.”
With that, we were standing outside a rickety old house, and then we were inside. I could sense Jude—and wasn’t that weird?—not too far away. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t make it in time.
The sheriff was in the process of turning around. He’d just checked underneath a baby blanket in the crib and seen the drugs there, and the man behind him had pulled a knife. The two of them were frozen in a sort of dance. Sheriff Paul was turning, and the man was stabbing the knife up and forward.
It was going to go straight into Paul’s chest. There, it would stab into his aorta, causing massive trauma. The man would stab a second time, furthering the trauma, although Jude would be there to prevent a third stabbing.
