Asher and I stand motionless as the sludge continues to circle the room.
“What is that?” I whisper.
“The poison that was used to taint your bonds.”
“How do we get rid of it?”
Instead of replying, she shouts, “Et abiit, malum.”
Be gone, evil.
The cloud stops spinning, contracting slightly before it explodes outward.
We cover our heads until silence descends once again.
My guys are too still. I drop to my knees, trying to find proof of life, but their chests aren’t moving. They don’t seem to be breathing. My hand darts forward, my fingers checking for a pulse in Macklin’s neck.
Nothing.
No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening!
Seconds tick by.
My hands roam over each of their faces as I push myself across the floor. They’re cold. Lifeless. So unlike the boisterous group I’ve become so used to, my heart shatters. The tears I refused to shed before now fall in a torrent down my face.
It didn’t work. This is all my fault. I failed them.
“Fate, I…” Asher begins, her voice cracking as she watches me fall apart.
“There m-must be something we c-can d-do,” I manage between sobs as I throw myself across Cole’s chest.
“I don’t…”
Before she can finish, large arms are suddenly wrapping themselves around me. I gasp, my head whips up, and I find myself staring into a familiar pair of smiling ice blue eyes. There’s a spark that skitters along our connections, lighting back up and slowly gaining strength.
“Oh thank god,” I sob, burying my face into his neck as I try to get a hold on my emotions. I take a deep breath, pull back, and promptly punch him in the chest. “That’s for making me freak the fuck out.”
I drop back onto his chest as it rumbles with laughter and promptly begin crying again. #GhostGirlProblems.
“Hey, little ghost. It’s okay.”
It takes a second for his words to sink in, and I slowly lift my head. A sense of dread is building inside, my stomach twisting as a dull throbbing begins in my head.
“What did you just say?”
“I said, it’s okay. I think it worked.”
“No. What did you just call me?” I whisper.
“Little ghost?” He tilts his head like he’s trying to figure me out.
My eyes widen. “Knox?”
“Babe, you’re starting to freak me out.”
“Oh fuck!” The smiling blue eyes and the laughter should’ve been my first clue that something wasn’t right. Dammit!
“Uh, guys…” I hear Thad say before I turn to see him sit up. His head turns, and his green eyes lock onto mine. His hand raises to push up a pair of glasses that aren’t there. “We have a serious problem.”
“Macklin?”
Thad’s head nods. OMG!
“Fuck yes, we do,” Knox says, his hands rubbing his face again and again.
“Um…?”
Knox’s hazel eyes find mine. “It’s me, woman.”
“Thad?”
Macklin sits up, his eyes scanning down the length of his body. “Fuck, bro. You’re so tiny!”
“Levi?” My voice is barely above a whisper at this point because my brain just can’t comprehend what’s happening right now.
“Hey, sweets.”
“This better be a goddamn prank because I swear to god…”
“Aww, hell. Which jackass am I? Please say I’m at least the smarter twin,” Levi says, sitting up.
“Cole?”
“Yes, love?”
“Oh my fucking hell!”
“You can say that again, sweets.”
My eyes find Asher’s, and she looks just as stunned as I am. Her face is pale, and she’s wringing her hands nervously.
“Asher,” Thad says, though it comes from Knox’s mouth. “We need your dad. Now!”
Knox chuckles, though it sounds rough since it’s coming from Cole, who never laughs. The muscles are probably atrophied or something. “Bet you never said that to any of the other girls.”
The room goes cold as my anger spikes.
“Really, Knox?” Thad mutters. “You had to go and piss her off?”
“Fuck. Sorry, little ghost. I didn’t mean it.”
“What’s happening right now?” Asher whispers, wrapping her arms around herself.
“These numbnuts don’t know when to keep their mouths shut,” Cole gripes as my eyes narrow on the Fearsome Five.
I take a deep breath, counting to ten before I do something rash...like kill them all myself.
My five guys are spread out around Asher’s apartment, staring at their counterparts.
“Do I really look like that?” Knox’s body points to Thad.
“You mean, do you really look like a giant cuntpuddle? Yes, yes, you do,” Knox answers from behind Cole’s blue eyes.
“Shut up, fuck nugget.”
I watch them banter back and forth, unable to say or do anything as we wait for Nate to get back to us. It seems like their powers have stabilized at least. Thank fuck for small victories.
But I can’t stop thinking about what will happen if they’re stuck this way. They’re like this because of me. What if I never get them back? Will I ever get to look into Cole’s scowling icy blues? Will I ever be held in Levi’s sweet arms or hear Thad’s dirty talk come from his mouth? Will I ever see my sexy nerd push his glasses up his nose? Will my Knox ever bend me over his knee?
“Hey,” Asher says, bumping my shoulder and pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. “We’re going to get them back. I’ve never met my dad, but I know my mom loved him. Every time I asked, her eyes would light up for a brief second before the tears would begin to fall. And believe me when I say she was not a woman who loved or trusted easily.”
“Do you want to meet him?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Sure, a part of me wants to reach out to the only living family I have left. Learn more about myself and what makes me me, ya know?” She looks around the room, lost in thought. “But the other part is terrified of bringing him into something that I don’t understand. My mother left him and went into hiding for a reason. Not to mention, exactly how does one just show up at someone’s door claiming to be their long-lost daughter?”
“I mean, I brought donuts when I showed up claiming to be his long dead friend.” I shrug then wink at her, enjoying the easy grin she gives in return.
Her grin falls as she begins to study the ring on her finger. When her eyes find mine again, there’s sadness there. I can feel it trickling past all of the other emotions swirling in the room. Hitting me with an intensity that makes me withhold a grimace. “I like my life here. I’m not sure I’m ready to give that up.”
“Then don’t. If there’s anything I’ve learned since I’ve been back, it’s that you have to do what feels right to you. Not anyone else.”
We share a look, and she nods. “Thank you, Fate.”
Suddenly, Reggie appears, and we both jump to our feet. The second I reached out to her, she immediately hopped into action, and with everything that’s been happening over the last few hours, I’m beyond thankful she’s got my back. I glance at the guys who are all studying me from behind strange eyes. Honestly, it kind of creeps me out, so I turn back and focus on my ghostly assistant.