Page 42 of Woven Souls

The silence that follows her statement is fraught with shock.

Death? Her father isDeath? I’m not even sure what that means. A picture of a skeleton dressed in a dark cloak carrying a scythe appears in my mind’s eye. That can’t be her father, can it? But it would explain so much if it were. Everything that happened tonight, how she knew you couldn’t kill the Utikyie, and how she can cross spirits over to the other realm. Jonah mentioned that the book we have hidden can only be read by those that are cursed or have the power to use it. If Willow can see what’s on those pages, then she’s powerful.

But while this explains some things, it only leaves room for more questions. Like, why am I not scared of the woman in front of me?

To give myself some time to process her announcement, I start cleaning Willow’s injury. I pull the glass out of her cut first. Willow flinches but doesn’t say a word. As I go through disinfecting it and wrapping her foot with heavy bandages, I work through the strange heat billowing through my body. Willow is the daughter of Death. I was right to assume that this whole time together, she hasn’t been a damsel in distress. She’s a force to be reckoned with, especially after what we’ve witnessed tonight. The way she wields her power with confidence and ease tells me she not only knows how dangerous she can be but is capable of poise and restraint.

Like a queen.

My erection is back in full force as I finish up caring for her foot. My breath is shaky as my thumb creates small circles on the inside of her ankle. My eyes trail up her bare leg, up to her face. Willow is looking around the room, meeting everyone’s stunned gaze with brows slightly furrowed and a small frown pulling at her mouth. When she turns her head to meet my stare, her eyes widen in surprise. Can she read the harsh burn of desire in mine? I couldn’t suppress it if I tried. My throat squeezes shut as I stare up at her.

Willow fidgets in her seat. “No one has any questions?”

Viktor manages to find his voice first. “I think there are a lot of questions still unanswered, but, like Theo said, you have the floor.”

Her eyes flicker to him before she shrugs. “What else is there to say? Now you know my secret. It’s why I can read the book and why Fredrick was after me.” She gives a short pause before adding, “And how I managed to weld our souls together.”

Swallowing very hard, I manage to place Willow’s ankle on the ground and get to my feet without making a fool of myself. I turn to hide the evidence of my arousal. As I do, I catch Kwil’s gaze. It’s piercing. Does he know how I burn for this woman sitting before us? I wouldn’t be surprised. His senses are even better now than they were when he was simply Fae. Or is this look because he’s waiting for me to fuck up, yet again. Looking away before I dig myself into a hole with him, I catch Viktor coming to his feet.

With a frown, he asks, “You said your mother was a necromancer. Is that still true?”

“Yes.”

Viktor begins to pace the room, his hands clasped behind his back. “Unless I’ve been wrong all these years, I thought necromancers were living beings.”

Unable to track where Viktor is going with this, I turn around to face Willow, who looks just as confused as I am.

“You’re right. She’s definitely alive.”

“So why, then, do you think she could help us regain the pieces of our souls?” Viktor stops his pacing to look at her. “I’m assuming since we’re dealing with a binding caused by Death Magic, we’d need Death Magic to reverse the situation.”

Understanding brings a small smile to Willow’s lips.

“It wasn’t my mother I was going to ask for help. We were just going to her house because she lives far enough away from any supernatural beings that they wouldn’t feel me use my power to contact my dad.”

My stomach drops as I suck in a sharp breath.

“You were going to ask your father to help us?” The thought of staring Death in the face is enough to drain the blood from mine. “Do you think he could do that?”

Willow scrunches up her nose as she considers the question. “Honestly? No,butif anyone can, it would be him.”

“Why wouldn’t he be able to undo it?” Viktor asks.

“The best way to describe what the task would entail is this: it would be like us trying to pour a cup of water into the ocean and then trying to scoop the same water right back up.” She sighs. “It’s worth a shot contacting him if it means setting all of us free.”

There’s a heavy silence as we consider this.

Maybe a week ago this news would have been devastating. But now I have a very new outlook on our situation, and on this new life. I’m no longer a Ghost, and I am no longer a prince. The only people I have to worry about are in this room. Two of them are men I’ve been watching over for almost eighty years now. The other two have somehow wiggled into the small sphere of people I care for and are leaving a lasting impression.

“Free…” I repeat, turning the word over in my head. “Free to do what?”

Willow blinks.

“To go do whatever it is you want. We wouldn’t be dependent on each other anymore.”

Viktor starts pacing again, his brows coming together. A familiar pink rises in his cheeks, one that tells me his temper has returned. I’ve wondered where the bitterness and anger went. For the past week, it’s like the flame to the fuse that ignites his anger was extinguished. I haven’t missed it, but I’ve been wondering about its absence. Rather than letting him say something he, or I, will regret, I speak first.

“May I throw out something for us all to consider?”

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