Page 52 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

“That would take away your fear of the afterlife?” Archer asked, pulling on Ebony’s holster to slow her down as she made her way into an open forest.

“No. Besides, we don’t know if something like the afterlife exists. Maybe everything will just be black forever. Or worse, I’ll turn into a spirit and be forced to see your face for the rest of eternity,” I joked, and he let out a laugh that made my head spin a little. I was sure that he’d soon reach his breaking point and accept me as a friend, instead of acting so tough and cold around me.

“You’d be pleased to be a spirit driving me to insanity with that red hair of yours,” he huffed, bringing the horse to a halt and slipping smoothly off her back.

I watched him as he bound her holster around the fence of a graveyard. The thought of being next to a place where hundreds of spirits could linger was unsettling. Nothing in me screamed to experience another dead soul making an attempt on my life. Two had been more than enough for me.

I couldn’t help but grin at him, burying my fear in the farthest corner of my mind. “You’d go insane for my hair, mmh?”

Archer walked over to me, frowning. “Mostly the way you spook around in history class, listening to Kane through the veil like the good little student you are. But sure, your hair would be a factor that leads to my insanity too.” He shrugged and pressed his lips into a thin line to hide the amusement our conversation brought him.

A failing attempt, I have to mention.

“If I were a spirit, my only goal would be to haunt you for not telling me the truth sooner,” I snapped at him, trying to fight the urge to continue our bickering like he hadn’t acted like an emotionless arse for the past weeks.

“What a pleasure to hear I’m important enough to you to want to haunt me, milady,” he scoffed, walking up to my side and gesturing for me to swing my legs over. I had to hold onto Ebony’s back in my attempt not to fall and—less importantly—not kick Archer in the process.

“You might be right there. I don’t want you to think you’re that important to me, so maybe I’ll stick to Jesse’s side, and we’ll play chess until one of us feels the urge to strangle the other. But since I’d be dead, it’ll be rather interesting if he tries,” I said, catching myself smirking at the idea of spending eternity with Jesse. He’d quite grown on me, and I enjoyed the afternoons in his room where he tried his best to teach me chess while the Smiths played on his record player.

Nathaniel spent most of his spare time in our room with Maisie, and as much as I didn’t mind him just hanging aroundon his girlfriend’s bed with a book while she slept by his side, I wanted to give them some time alone like they had before I joined the academy. So, two weeks ago, I’d grabbed some biscuits from the kitchen and knocked on Jesse’s door.

You didn’t need to be an empath to sense that he enjoyed the company. My guess was that he’d never learned how it feels to be a loner, growing up in a family with so many siblings.

Suddenly, Archer reached for me, pulling me by the waist off the back of his horse, making me shriek in surprise. He steadied me and clapped his hands on both sides of my shoulders. “Enough talk about death. We’ve made a deal. I teach you everything I’ve learnt about our abilities, and you trust us, at least try to. You’re part of our secret society now, which means working day and night to uncover the lost memories and the Book of Shadows to prevent our deaths.”

I slapped his arm. “Just because I’m starting to trust you doesn’t mean you can yank me off your horse without warning, Arsehole,” I scowled up at him. Archer shrugged innocently and walked past me, stroking his hand over Ebony’s fur. “We’ll be right back, sweet girl.”

Should I be concerned that he’s more polite to an animal than to an actual human?

He walked through the gates of the old graveyard without a second of hesitation, leaving me no choice but to follow him. He was right. We had a deal. And if I wanted to know everything there was to learn about my kind and spirits, I had to fight the crippling fear creeping up my neck at all times. I followed him, jogging to catch up.

“What are we doing here?” I asked as he took a turn off the official path, heading into the trees surrounding the property.

“You’ll see. Now hurry, or we’ll miss it,” he replied, checking his watch before coming to a halt between two enormous trees. I almost bumped into him at the abrupt stop.

“And what will we miss?”

“So talkative today, Miss De Loughrey,” he murmured, not looking at me but at the empty graveyard ahead.

“Someone has to be, since you’re so annoyingly silent, Mister Kingstone,” I shot back, following his gaze. The sound of a woman’s laughter carried on the wind.

The next moment, a stunningly beautiful woman ran past our hiding spot in a puffy white dress. It looked more suitable for a wedding than a graveyard. Her blonde curls bounced as she twirled along the path between the graves, as though having the time of her life.

“You can’t catch me, Vic!” she called between bursts of laughter, dancing all alone. The winter breeze was her only partner. “Vic?” she called again, slowing down and glancing around the area, as though her groom had vanished. Maybe he hadn’t been there at all. “Come on, Vic, you know everyone is waiting for us. It’ll be a shame if the bride and groom don’t attend their own wedding on time,” she giggled.

I didn’t know why Archer thought it was important to watch a poor woman dancing all alone in a graveyard, clearly confused. It was sad, honestly, and I wanted nothing more than to approach her and ask if she needed help.

“Maybe we should help her—” I suggested, but the moment I spoke, a man appeared behind her. He caught her around the waist and twirled her in the air, making her let out a surprised scream.

“It’s not a wedding without a groom and bride, my dear,” the man, presumably Vic, whispered in her ear. The wind carried his voice in our direction. “So let them wait as long as we like. It’s our day, after all.”

The bride leaned into him with a smile that showed she agreed with his sentiment.

“We have all the time in the world, and so much more,” she replied, spinning to face him.

The way they looked at each other seemed almost unreal. It was too full of love. No one could look at another person like that, as though they’d devour their very life for them. Love like that didn’t exist. It was a fairytale.

“Are they spirits?” I whispered to the boy beside me, noticing then how his shoulder brushed against mine. A shiver ran down my spine.

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