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“You want me to raise a corpse from the ground? Did you bring a shovel?”

“No, not like—not like a zombie. You can do other things, right? Like ghosts and spirits and shit?” She nudged him.

“Yes. I can raise ‘like ghosts and spirits and shit.’” He shook his head, giving up on fighting the smile that had overtaken him. “What do you want to do with them?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think that far ahead. Like, just say hi, or whatever.”

“You want me—let me get this straight—you want me to call a spirit from the peaceful sleep of the great beyond, to summon them from the ever-after, so you can ‘just say hi’?”

“Yup.”

Putting his hand over his eyes, he laughed incredulously. “You’re ridiculous. I don’t honestly remember ever you being this…chaotic.”

That made her pause for a second, her grin fading as she thought it over. “I’m sick of being afraid. I get the feeling that’s all I’ve ever been—terrified of the shadows. Of what comes next. I guess, now that I know that one way or the other everything’s going to end soon, there’s a kind of calmness in that. There’s no more running. Last stop, end of the line, time to face the truth.”

He stopped and, pulling on her hand, tugged her around to face him. There were so many emotions on his face that they all mixed into one muddled mess. It left him looking intense but otherwise indiscernible to her. With his other hand, he placed his palm to her cheek. “There is a world in which you continue on. Where you survive to explore the world. To live and enjoy what it means to be alive.”

“With you?”

“Only if you allow it.” A sad, hopeless kind of smirk twisted his lips up at one side. “Only if you wish it. You and I are bound together, but once you are well again, once your mind is whole, you are free to do as you like.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“I’ve made enough terrible decisions on your behalf. High time you’re allowed to make a few of your own.” The playfulness in his voice was back, and she found she preferred it to when he was being so morose.

His teasing made her chuckle, and she had a sudden urge. Not understanding where it came from, and so taken off guard from it, she couldn’t stop herself. She stepped into him and hugged him. Just wrapped her arms around his midsection and rested her head against his chest. “Thanks.”

“I—” He stammered for a moment before slowly wrapping his arms around her, holding her in return. “You’re welcome? For what?”

“For trying. It really does matter.”

“We’ll see what you think of me once you learn what I’ve done to you.” He kissed the top of her head. “But I appreciate the thought.”

“You could just tell me, y’know. Skip the bullshit.”

“Yes, but then you wouldn’t let me kiss you anymore, would you? Let alone…” His hand trailed down her back, along her waist, and then, before she could react, grabbed one globe of her ass and squeezed. Hard. “Do this.”

“Hey!” With a yelp, she slapped her palm on his chest. As he let go, she took half a step away from him. Her face exploded in heat.

He laughed, but there was an edge of darkness to it that had come over him as quickly as flicking a switch. “Sorry. I thought maybe I had earned a little teasing in return after what you did to me in the restaurant.”

It was her turn to be flustered. She stammered and cleared her throat. “S—sure. Yeah, no, it’s fine. It’s just…” He had warned her that she was playing with fire. And she had kept jabbing at the coals with a stick. It wasn’t that she was shocked that the embers flared to life at her jabbing; she wasn’t an idiot. It was what his unexpected gesture had done to her that sent her reeling.

Because now she was the one who felt ablaze. That simple action from him—just the hint of what might be in store for her if she was brave and stupid enough to follow where it might lead—left her stomach twisting in knots of excitement.

“Just what?”

“I—ah. Um.”

He arched an eyebrow, an almost knowing twist to his lips. It was his turn to enjoy a little mischief, it seemed. “Yes?”

Turning abruptly on her heel, she headed off into the cemetery. “Necromancy! Let’s go.”

She could hear Gideon laughing behind her.

* * *

“I don’t like this,”Rinaldo grumbled into the phone pressed to his ear. “This is stupid and risky.”