Page 12 of When Monsters Rise
“I’msorry,” he said. “I’msorryIhave to leave you.”
Dammit.Ididn’t want to cry.Notnow.Notafter such a beautiful evening.Ididn’t want to taint our time together with sadness, but the tears came anyway.Iforced my lips into a smile. “You’llnever leave me,Bastian.You’rea part of me now.Forever.”
Hekissed away my tears and rolled off me before pulling me into his arms, his chest to my back.Iclosed my eyes and drank in this moment.Thesensation of his skin against mine, the way our hearts beat in time to each other, chests rising and falling in tandem.Itold myself thatI’dhave this memory.Always.Thatit was okay to accept fate, but the stubborn bitch inside me wouldn’t let go.
Icouldn’t lose him.
Notyet.
Hisbody was broken, but his soul…Hissoul was intact and…Wait…Jamiehad been dying too and now…Nowhe was whole.Rebornbecause he’d died with the serum in his blood, and a celestial couldn’t be killed by the purge.
Icould saveBastian!Allwe needed was serum in his body and a celestial to purge him.
Ilooked over my shoulder, eager to share this news with him, but his eyes were closed and his breathing steady and deep.Sleephad already taken him, butIwas too excited to wait.
Ihad to speak toMichaelabout this.
Now.
Chapter8
BEE
Tumieladds the finishing touches to the last symbol on the storeroom wall, then hides it with a sack of flour.
“Youreally think these symbols will help trap the ghost?”
“Runes,”Tumielsays with a closed-lip smile.
He’staken to doing that the last couple of days, probably because his teeth are becoming sharper.Devolution, they call it.
Iwant to tell him thatIdon’t care.Thatwhat he looks like doesn’t matter to me, but his feelings about his appearance aren’t to do with me.They’rehis insecurities, andIhave no right poking at them.AllIcan do is show him that it doesn’t bother me by not changing howIam with him.
Penemuestands on the threshold, scanning the room through a curtain of dark hair.Nowif anyone has the creepy factor, it’s this guy.Hemoves like a shadow in permanent stealth mode.
“Yes,” he says. “Thisshould work.Ifthe creature is a spirit or otherworld entity of some kind, the runes will hold it here and we can question it.”
IfollowTumielout of the storeroom and wait while he locks it.There’sanother symbol on the outside of the door.Thisone isn’t hidden.
“Wait, won’t it see that?”Ipoint at the rune.
“It’shidden to otherworld eyes,”Tumielsays. “Ifthe creature gets inside and is trapped, this symbol will glow and tell us as much.”
Wehead back to the dining hall, whereMiraandAmaroswait.
“Nowwhat?”Miraasks.
“Nowwe wait,”Penemuesays. “Goabout the rest of your evening.We’llcheck on the storeroom after midnight.”
TumielhandsMirathe key. “Meetus here just after midnight.”
Icheck the large clock hung across from us.It’sjust past nine pm.Almostthree hours to kill.It’sRue’sevening withBastianso she’ll be busy, and the thought of hanging out in my room alone doesn’t appeal to me.Sissyis an early to bed kinda gal so…Ilook up atTumiel, who’s watching me with a strange, almost speculative expression, and smile. “Youwanna hang out for a while?”
Hisemerald eyes warm beneath dark lashes. “Iwould like that.Whatwould you like to do?”
Justbeing close to him is enough but saying that is kinda creepy. “Wecould go bowling.”There’san arcade and bowling alley in the sector of the mall that’s being opened up.
“I’venever…bowled.”
