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“Cut the crap, Bitch,” I retorted, reverting to the childish back and forth banter we used to have. His lips curled.

“Don’t call me a bitch, Mega Bitch.”

“Don’t call me a mega bitch, Extreme Asshole Bitch.”

We shared soft smiles, the tension of the last few months draining from my body. Talking with him again, teasing him, being with him…

The ache that had grown in my chest didn’t entirely alleviate, but it did lessen.

“You know that cheesy saying? About how a person is always alive because they live in someone’s memories and blah blah blah?” I asked, venturing a step forward. “They’re right. I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

“And you can be with the real me if you looked,” he responded dryly.

Dream Calax was as big of a dick as Real Calax.

“You're dead.”

“No, I’m not. Why else would your subconscious dream of me like this?” he countered with a devilish grin.

“Because I want it to be true so badly. I want you to still be alive. I miss you. I need you. I can’t breathe without you,” I lamented. Tears sprung to my eyes.

His own features softened. “Didn’t I promise I’d never leave you? Never. I’ll love you forever, Baby. Forever.”

His form began to shimmer around the edges, dematerializing before my very eyes. Desperate to touch him, kiss him, show him how much I loved him, I broke into a run.

But the darkness returned with a vengeance, once more obscuring Calax from view. In the abyss, I began to scream and cry.

“Calax!”

* * *

I awoke with a start.

“Wake up, sleepy head. We’re here,” Asher said softly, brushing my sweaty, tangled hair out of my face. I blinked the sleep away, glancing warily around.

The darkness had descended, painted with stars and a crescent moon the palest shade of gold.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked drowsily. Moving slowly, I tested each of my taut muscles. After being cramped in a car for hours on end, it hurt to move more than a millimeter.

“Half a day,” replied Asher easily. “We’re stopping for the night. Jared and Fallon already cleared the building.”

The building was actually an elegant hotel complete with balconies lining the sides and intricately trimmed wood. The beige color was offset by darker ornaments decorating the windows. At five stories tall, I recognized the building as being owned by a competitor of my dear old daddy.

Funny how things turn out.

Taking Asher’s hand, I marveled at the inside complete with a three-tiered chandelier, a fountain currently devoid of water, and leather chairs on either side of a large fish tank.

My heart lurched uncomfortably at the dozens upon dozens of dead fish floating at the surface of the water.

Still, there was no denying the elegance and opulence of the lobby. Even in the midst of the apocalypse, it was gorgeous.

“This place is fucking beautiful,” I cooed, peering around the purple and green themed lobby. The colors, oddly enough, didn’t clash. The light green made the room softer while the deep purple captured your attention.

The inside was hot, but nothing compared to the heatwave outside. Sweat still prickled at my skin, but it was no longer unbearable.

“The others are upstairs already,” Asher exclaimed, tugging at my hand. We moved in silence towards a grand staircase in the far corner of the lobby.

“Asher?”