“Give me your word,” Ascot bites out through clenched teeth, his expression suddenly serious.
Kevin stands silently, eying me with hatred before looking back at Ascot. “Fine,” he whispers, holding out his hand.
Ascot moves closer, placing the envelope in his palm. “I mean it, Kevin,” he locks eyes with him, “no contact with anyone, no family, no friends, not even a twice removed cousin on your Danish uncle’s side, you got that?”
Kevin slowly nods, his eyes red and glassy. “Yeah,” he whispers.
If he weren’t such a prick, I might actually feel sorry for him.
“Good,” Ascot says, taking a step back, “you’re free to go.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ascot immediately turns around and gets to work, picking up a shovel to scoop the piled dirt back on Kevin’s grave. I grab a shovel, too, when something catches the corner of my eye. Kevin. He’s walking down the same road we came up on only he has a slight glow to him, like he’s still in spirit. I squint to get a better look, thinking the darkness is playing tricks on my eyes, but it’s not. The soft light is still with him.
What the hell?
Could this be how I see mortals in my new immortal state? If so, why haven’t I seen other living souls with the same kind of glow? I stand, curious, deep in concentration when I get a nudge on my shoulder.
“Hey,” Ascot whispers, “you okay?”
“Y-Yeah,” I blink, “I-I think so. It’s just…”
“What?” he tilts his head, eyes following mine.
“Kevin,” I whisper, pointing out to him. “Don’t you see him?”
He squints. “No, it’s pitch-black out here.”
“I know, but,” I glance up at him, “he’s kind of glowing.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah,” I nod, “it’s almost like he’s in spirit and not actually alive.”
“Oh good, serves the asshole right.” Ascot whispers, his tone sounding as if he knows something I don’t.
“What’s going on?”
He blows out a breath. “Most likely, Kevin won’t be alive for long…”
“Wait, what?” I cut him off.
“Yeah,” he whispers, “it’s rare, but it happens sometimes.”
“What happens?”
“The effects of Medusa’s blood,” he shrugs. “On rare occasion, it may only work for a short amount of time. And if you’re already seeing him the way you see spirit, I can only guess...”
“Yeah, but it’s different, he’s not as bright.”
“Like I said, he probably doesn’t have long.”
I give him a smile. “How long do you think?”
“I’m not sure,” he shakes his head, getting back to shoveling the dirt. “A week, maybe two?”
“Whoa…” I cover my mouth.
“In Kevin’s case, it’s definitely for the best,” Ascot grunts, throwing more dirt over the grave.
“Yeah, of course, but what will happen to him?”
Ascot shrugs, keeping a rhythm as he shovels. “Any number of things. He’ll just lose consciousness and die, right where he is,” he pauses and looks up at me. “He could be on a plane, walking along the street, hell,” his brows go up, “he could be having a drink in a bar.”
“Unbelievable,” I whisper thinking of something else. “But won’t he be furious? Won’t he just go after us again, or after Tammy and Camilla?
Ascot smiles. “That’s the beauty of it, there are no guarantees. Kevin won’t know what happened until he’s gone.”
“But won’t he just want you to bring him back again?”
“I can’t, it’s a one and done kind of thing. Once he dies for a second time, he’ll be gone, lost forever. He won’t be able to haunt anyone else again.” he explains, going back to his work.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, he cheated death,” Ascot nods, “and once you cheat death and die again,” he stops and looks up at me. “You lose your soul forever. Even in the afterlife.”
Gulp.
“Did Kevin know that ahead of time?”
Ascot nods again, going back to his work. “He knew it was a possibility, it was part of the deal, but I didn’t dwell on it,” he admits, lips tightening. “I knew better.”
A flood of relief rushes through me, and I let out a breath. “I thought we went over everything, but I guess you left that out, too?”
He blows out a breath. “Honestly, the chances of it happening were pretty slim, I didn’t think I needed to mention it.”
“I’m happy you were wrong,” I smile up at him.
“Me too, love, me too,” he gives me a sly grin.
“So, all of this will be over soon,” I whisper, watching Kevin move out of sight. “That monster won’t have a chance to hurt anyone ever again.”
“Karma is alive and well,” Ascot’s face softens and he leans in, kissing my forehead. “I think we’re done here, let’s go home.”
***
When we arrive back at Ascot’s apartment, I make a beeline for the bathroom and immediately begin stripping off my clothes.
“Mind if I join you?” Ascot asks, stopping at the doorway.
I glance up at him, preoccupied in thought and blink. “Oh, yeah, sure,” I whisper.
“Hey,” he reaches out, his warm hand touching my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I pull in a breath and close my eyes. “Does it ever get to you?”
He sighs and pulls me into his arms. “I could ask you the same question,” he kisses my head. “But yes, I suppose where I come from and what I can do does get to be a lot sometimes,” he swallows, “even for me.”
“I know the feeling, trust me,” I sigh and look up. “Are you sure adding my abilities into your crazy life won’t throw you over the edge?”
He laughs out loud. “You are something else, you know that?” his fingers gently stroke my hair. “Honestly, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he whispers, fixing his eyes on mine. “And I’ve been around long enough to know the difference.”
I tighten my arms around his waist and cock a brow. “You do realize you’re kind of a dirty old man,” I snicker.
He gasps dramatically, clearly amused and picks me up before I can run, my nude body warm in his arms as he walks to his bedroom. “I may have to punish you for that,” he whispers, his voice low and sexy.
I giggle up at him. “Promise?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Are you ready?” Ascot asks.
I look over my shoulder as he leans against the doorframe, head cocked and smiling. “Yes, just give me a minute,” I try to stuff another pair of jeans in my suitcase.
“You need some help?”
“No, I think I got it,” I grunt. “It’s just…”
“What?” he steps toward me, pressing a hand on my suitcase.