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I needed Lakelyn home, my son close enough for our connection to keep me strong, and the people responsible for what happened to me standing in the same fucking room when I finally revealed myself.

There would be no more rumors, no more wondering, and no more Chalis walking around pretending he didn’t know what happened to Caspian Black. Lakelyn was going to see exactly who had taken me away from her. My son would finally have his father, and the man who had spent six years thinking he’d gotten away with murder was about to find out that dying hadn’t made me forget a mothafuckin’ thing.

I looked back at Miss Veda. “Now, about tonight.”

She sighed. “What else, Majesty Black?”

I chuckled. “You funny, lady. But you got everything ready? The guest list?”

“Taken care of.”

“The ones who don’t need to remember?”

“I’ll handle them when the time comes.”

“And my living form? I need my body, Miss Veda. I ain’t showing up to my own damn party looking like somebody can walk through me.”

She looked me over. “You’re much stronger than you were the last time I gave you physical life. Having your family close has done wonders for you. Do you remember what I told you about Halloween?”

“Something about I’ll be able to cross further into the physical world.”

“Exactly. Your family has already made you stronger than you’ve been since you died, but strength alone cannot make you living again. That requires intervention from someone like me. The two hours I granted you before were temporary physical restoration. Tonight, Halloween allows me to extend that restoration far beyond what I could give you then.”

“So basically the same thing you did before?”

“The same thing, only for much longer.”

I thought about that for a second. “So if I get shot again, what happens? I’ma die twice?”

Miss Veda’s expression flattened. “No, Caspian. You cannot die twice.”

“Good to know.”

“That does not mean you cannot be injured,” she continued. “While you are physically alive, your body will respond like a living body. You can bleed, you can feel pain, and if you sustain an injury severe enough to kill a living man, the restoration will end and you’ll be forced back into your spirit form.”

I stared at her. “So getting shot still ain’t recommended.”

“I would have thought your first experience taught you that.”

“You’d be surprised.”

She sighed. “I rarely am anymore.”

Now she was speaking my fucking language.

“How long do I get?”

“Until sunrise.”

I smiled slowly. “Oh, I can do a lot with that.”

Miss Veda gave me a knowing look. “I’m sure that thought has already occurred to you.”

“More than once.”

The last time Miss Veda gave me two hours, I hadn’t asked for them so I could take a damn walk around the neighborhood. After six years without being able to touch Lakelyn the way I wanted to, I had known exactly what I planned to do with every minute she gave me… and I had.

Tonight, though?