Page 63 of Reap the Night
Explained the connection Ezekiel had established with me.
He’d reached out to my mind with the part of him that knew me. It had to be his attempt to ground himself.
He was using me to remain present, to hold on to the now, to sanity, and I wanted to be here, close by for every episode where he was awake. Maybe I could coax him to coherence. Pull him out of the living nightmare he was trapped in.
Or maybe I was expecting too much.
Either way, I had to try.
He slept now, an alabaster figure in repose. It was my job to watch over him.
“You still need to be seen in New Town,” Hemlock said. “I’ll drive you there late morning.”
I didn’t want to leave this spot. I wanted to sleep so I could be with Ezekiel. Maybe I could communicate with him somehow. Pull him out of the loop he was in.
“Orina?” Ordell touched my shoulder.
“Yes, yes, I know.” I climbed into bed and pulled up the sheets. “You can go.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Hemlock said. “If you’re in here, then one of us will be in here with you.”
“I’ll stay,” Ordell said.
Hemlock snorted. “Not likely, brother. You’re just as much a danger to her as he is.”
Ordell’s mouth flattened, but he didn’t argue. “I’ll check in on you in a few hours.” He left, and Hemlock dropped to the floor at the foot of my cot.
“Get some sleep,” he said softly.
I closed my eyes and tried to settle, but one thought kept resurfacing in my mind. I needed to talk about it. “Hemlock…”
“Yes?”
“I saw Arabella…but I didn’t feel any connection to her. If I am her…was her, then surely something should have sparked, right?”
“I don’t know how much you would feel or remember if you were her reborn,” Hemlock said. “When the white wings retrieved Arabella’s soul from limbo, they were meant to strip her of her memories. They turned her into a scale to measure light and dark, where fate would tip the balance. She’d loved Ezekiel once, but could she love him again without his humanity? If yes, then he could be restored. Made whole again. If not…well, you know what the outcome of that is.”
“So falling in love with him is the only way to return his humanity?”
“Yes. Arabella’s soul must love him once more.”
“And you think I’m her?”
“I do.”
But I wasn’t sure. “What if I do it…What if I allow myself to love him, really love him, but then the real Arabella shows up?”
“I don’t know,” he said softly. “I wish I had the answers.”
He sounded as tired as I felt. “There’s enough room on the cot for us both if we squish up.”
“And there you go, trying to seduce me,” he drawled.
I cracked a smile. “I can’t seem to help myself.”
“The floor’s hard, and I’m not a martyr, so…” He pulled himself up with a groan and climbed onto the cot behind me.
I adjusted the covers, shuffling forward a bit then back again as he slung an arm around my waist.
