I laugh and pinch her nose. “The most beautiful woman in the world.”
She catches my humor and scowls at me. “You don’t believe me.”
I cup her cheek and smooth away her frown with my thumb. My hand is so big compared to her perfect little head. “I believe that you love your mommy so much, that you want to see her wherever you are.”
“She knew you wouldn’t believe me too, she said all you have to do is howl and she’ll howl back.”
I chuckle nervously, because that’s a bit eerie.
We still do the howl like I did as a teen, but it’s rare, and it’s mostly just something my family shares with Lily. She enjoys it.
“She did, she said she’ll howl so you know she’s okay and she’s happy and so you’ll know I’m not telling tales.”
Her imagination is insane. I just hope not as insane as her mother’s.
That was a joke Lilith definitely would have found funny.
“Come on.” I pick her up and prop her on my hip and we exit the trees in silence.
We get to my little cabin, the one Lilith and I were supposed to have, and I push open the heavy door then place my daughter on her feet.
I turn back to look at the trees, so thick and beautiful and peaceful.
Then, on a whim, and because why not? I cup my hands to my mouth, tilt my head back, and howl loud and long at the setting sun. Lily joins in, her little voice not carrying as far as mine, but it still lingers in the following echoes.
She giggles and holds my hand when I let it drop and I wait forever, watching the sun set for a few minutes, eyes scanning the trees, hoping she’ll maybe come back to me.
Nothing comes back to us, not a sound, not a shuffle, not a whisper, so with sadness we turn to go inside.
But then…
It happens.
Something howls back. A long, high note. It sounds just like Lilith. Exactly how I remember. Or maybe now I’m the one with the insane imagination.
It makes me feel emotional, even now after all these years I still wish she could be by my side.
“See, Daddy?” Lily asks, tugging on my hand and grinning with excitement and wonder. “That means she’s safe and happy.”
With tears blurring my eyes, I pick my daughter up and hug her tight. “It sure does, Lily-bug.”
I close the door behind us, saying goodbye for the last time.
ENDING NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you so much for reading Lilith and Nokosi’s story, I really hope you enjoyed it. I’m adding this note to explain a couple of things to you that I couldn’t explain before you started the book because spoilers.
As you might have noticed, this book has been written by both A. E. Murphy (me) and Xela Knight (Me). Both are my pen names and the reason for the crossover is because this story is a sort of villain’s prequel to Xela Knight’s works in progress.
Xela is my pen name for all my future paranormal/fantasy works. At this point in time, 23/07/2019, I haven’t released any under Xela Knight except for this.
This is purely because I’m building a massive collection of novels under that pen name and I want to make sure most of them are done before I release them so that you guys don’t have to wait too long for each installment.
To follow Xela Knight, simply like her page on FB.
Thank you so much for your time.
Much love,
A. E. Murphy
Xela Knight
Have you read…?
STEPDORK
A. E. Murphy
Available on KU
“I hate him. I hate him like a rash. I want him to leave before I have to leave.” I roll onto my back and sling an arm over my eyes. My feet press into the soft mat of the lounger I’m on.
We’re supposed to be decorating my bedroom, but the sun is shining and I really need to bake my tan a little bit more. Plus, Cella got bored and Molly got hungry.
Bris is swimming laps in the pool. Or trying to. She’s not the most graceful swimmer. I’ve never seen somebody splash so much. She swims like she’s trying to break through ice.
It’s a nice spray of cool water as she goes by us though.
“Is this about what he said the other day?” Molly asks around a mouthful of bread.
Oh carbs, how I miss thee.
“Oh no, it gets better,” Cella says, having been the one to suffer my grumblings this week.
We haven’t seen much of Molly this week because she’s been sick and Bris has been with Parker sucking face every chance she gets. So gross.
“The little fucktard is like majorly OCD and we have to share a bathroom, right? So he is constantly organizing and bleaching and shit like that.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad,” Molly says, still eating.
“Close your mouth, skank.” Cella grins at our mutual friend. “Nobody wants to see that.”
Bris swims to the side of the pool closest to us. “What’s going on?”
“Well.” I sit up, straddle the sun lounger and look at them all. “He decided to mop the floor like a weirdo, and instead of picking up my clothes and dropping them in my room, he pushed them with the mop, so hello, bleach stains.”
“Oh no, he didn’t,” Molly gasps, her mouth now wide open and showing a mixture of sloppy bread and ham.
“Close your dick-sucking mouth,” Cella yells at her, throwing a small towel directly at her face.
“Why didn’t you put your clothes in the hamper?” Bris asks and I shoot her a glare.
“I usually do, okay, but I was high, I forgot! He could have told me to move them and I would have.” We haven’t spoken at all since that night in the kitchen, we actively avoid each other at all costs.
Bris cringes. “What a snake.”
“Right?” Cella agrees.
I fake sob for a moment. “It was my Beatles shirt, the one we got from that greasy bridge guy on the strip.”
“Oh no, I loved that shirt.” Molly pats me on the arm, leaving breadcrumbs behind.
“Ew,” I murmur and brush them off with the side of my hand.
Cella pulls out a cigarette and pops it between her lips. She lights it with her favorite dolphin-shaped lighter and relaxes back on her lounger. “He’s such a loser.”
“Oh my God, he’s at the window upstairs!” Molly hisses, without pointing or drawing too much attention. Cella and I both look up, over the pool and above the kitchen window. There he is, standing at his window though I can’t tell if he’s looking at us or not.
“Probably batting one off to our sexy bodies,” Cella comments and flips him off. “Look all you like, perv, you’ll never have this!”
“Closest he’s getting to a vagina is the moment he exited his mom’s,” Bris states and we all burst into a fit of laughter.
Acknowledgments
To PamPammy Shepherd, thank you for taking the alpha copy of this book and guiding me to the next stage. You’re a crazy AF lady that I adore. I can’t wait to share more alcoholic slushies with you.