Page 9 of Brush with Death (Not Quite Dead #3)
“YOU NEED TO TALK TO your friend again,”
Rachel declared.
Cyril stared at the phone on the kitchen table. He still hadn’t met Rachel, but he wished he could see her right now. He wished he could see her every time they talked on the phone. She was Vale and Russell’s closest friend, and it didn’t feel right that she and Cyril had never been in the same room.
Vale cleared his throat.
“Why do you say that?”
Right. Rachel had called to talk about Katie and Sam. That was what Cyril should focus on.
He was thankful for Vale’s presence.
If Cyril got distracted by thoughts that he wasn’t doing enough or started to panic because he doubted that his ability would ever return, Vale could bring him back down to earth and try to calm him down.
Cyril felt like he shouldn’t need that, but he wasn’t sure he could do without it.
As more days passed, he was starting to really think about the possibility that he wouldn’t get his full ability back.
What would he do then?
He could still feel the souls when he reached for them.
They were right there.
The problem was that even though he could feel them, there was nothing he could do about it.
He couldn’t put the souls back into the bodies they’d belonged to.
Something was still blocking him, or rather, he thought that something was blocking him.
Vale hadn’t allowed Cyril anywhere near a dead body since he’d tried reanimating Sam at the morgue.
No matter how many times Cyril had asked to try since then, Vale’s answer had always been no.
Cyril hadn’t called Katie again, either.
He didn’t know how to tell her that he still had no idea what had happened to Sam.
It had only been a few days, but he felt like he should’ve done more.
Would she blame him for it? Cyril was blaming himself enough for the both of them.
Hell, he was blaming himself enough for a bunch of people.
“I poked around Sam’s social media, and I can tell you that something was different in his life over the past few months.
Cyril frowned.
“That’s not possible. Katie said there was nothing wrong with him.”
“Well, either Katie didn’t know the full extent of it, or she was lying to you. That’s why you have to go back to talk to her.”
“She’s in pain. I don’t want to bother her more than I already did.”
And Cyril really didn’t think she’d lied. Maybe she hadn’t known whatever Rachel was talking about, or maybe she had but hadn’t thought about it. She’d just lost the most important person in her life. She was bound to forget things or not to think about them. Her attention was on the fact that Sam was gone. Cyril couldn’t blame her for that.
“You told her you’d find out what happened to Sam,”
Vale said gently.
“I’m sure she’ll agree to talk to you.”
“I really feel we should leave her alone. She’s grieving.”
“She is. It doesn’t mean she won’t want to talk to you. Why don’t you text her and ask? She can decide whether or not she wants to see you.”
Cyril almost said no, but Vale wasn’t wrong. Katie had asked Cyril to find out what had happened to Sam, so she probably would want to give him all the information she hadn’t thought of the first time. Cyril would also use this time to check in on her. He didn’t know much about Katie’s family, but he remembered she hadn’t been close to them. She’d only had Sam.
Cyril had always known that he was lucky to have his mother. She’d been supportive of him for his entire life, including two times, which a lot of parents wouldn’t have been. She hadn’t run away screaming when she’d realized that he was a necromancer, and she hadn’t kicked him out when he’d come out to her. She’d supported him through all of it, even when he didn’t know what to do with himself. He’d always have her support. She’d always be there for him.
Katie and Sam had never had that. They had each other, though, and for them, it had been enough. Katie didn’t have Sam anymore. Now, she was alone, and Cyril was worried.
He grabbed his phone from the table and pulled up his messaging app. He wasn’t sure what to write, so he decided to keep it simple.
I have a few questions about Sam. Would it be okay if Vale and I came over?
She answered a few minutes later, almost as if she’d been waiting by the phone. You can come whenever you want. I’m home.
Cyril put down the phone.
“She’s home and happy to talk to us.”
Vale nodded.
“Good. Rachel, can you tell us what we need to talk to her about?”
“Well, I found a bunch of recent friendships on Sam’s social media. He was talking to people, but that only started a few months ago. I tried looking into those people, and to say they are weird would be an understatement.”
“What kind of weird are we talking about?”
Cyril asked because a lot of people thought he was weird.
“Summoning demons weird, amongst other things.”
Cyril blinked.
“I’m sorry?”
“You heard me. They seem convinced that the only way to fix humanity is to summon demons and allow them to kill indiscriminately. Of course, they’d be the ones summoning these demons, so they’d be safe, but you get the idea.”
“Is this a conspiracy theory like the lizard people or something?”
“Looks like it. These people are convinced they can do this, and honestly, I’m not sure they can’t.”
“What does that have to do with Sam?”
“He’s friends with them. Was,”
Rachel added quietly.
“I can’t understand whether or not he truly believed in the summoning demons thing from what I can read on his profile and his messages, but he was certainly entertaining the idea.”
She paused.
“I also saw messages between him and Katie. She was worried about him because he was spending a lot of time away from home without telling her where he was.”
“She probably doesn’t want to think about the bad things that happened between them now that he’s gone,”
Cyril murmured.
“I’m sure you’re right, but this is a lead. I’m not saying these people killed Sam, but it’s certainly something to look into.”
“I’ll ask Katie.”
Cyril wasn’t sure how he would ask her if Sam believed in summoning demons, but maybe he wouldn’t have to. Maybe he could talk around it and find out what Katie knew.
He thought about it on the way there. Once again, he was thankful for Vale. He was driving and allowed Cyril to stay silent as he did so. He probably knew that Cyril needed this time to gather his thoughts and decide how to approach this.
He still didn’t know how to do it when they parked in front of Katie’s house. She opened the door before Cyril could even step out of the car. She looked eager, and Cyril hated that he was about to disappoint her. She probably thought he had answers, but he didn’t. The only thing he had were more questions.
“Cyril was unable to reanimate Sam when he tried,”
Vale declared as soon as they were sitting on Katie’s couch.
“So we thought we should talk to you again.”
Katie frowned.
“Are you sure you’re well enough to do this?”
she asked Cyril.
“I didn’t know you’d been hurt when I called you. Sam wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself even more, and I don’t want that, either.”
He was touched that she was concerned for him, but he wanted to do this.
“I’m fine. I just need to give my head more time to heal, apparently.”
“Well, I’ll tell you everything I can about Sam. What did you have questions about?”
She looked better today, probably because she’d had a few days to wrap her mind around the fact that Sam was gone. Her eyes were still red, and she was pale, but she wasn’t sobbing. Cyril wasn’t sure she wouldn’t start crying eventually, but they needed answers.
“A friend of Vale’s dug into Sam’s social media accounts,”
he explained, leaving out the fact that Rachel hadn’t gone the legal way and had access to Sam’s private messages.
“She found out that he made a lot of recent friendships.”
Katie pressed her lips together and looked down at her hands. Cyril wanted to ask what she was thinking about, but he didn’t. He waited for her to be ready. He wasn’t sure she ever would be, but if she wanted Cyril to find out what happened to Sam, she’d need to be honest. She might not know anything, but chances were that she did, even though she might not realize it. Without being able to talk to Sam, this was the only way they would get answers.
VALE WAS INTRIGUED. He wasn’t sure he believed in the summoning demons part—although maybe he should since his boyfriend reanimated the dead for a living—but he didn’t have to. It might not be real, but if these people believed they could do it, they’d act accordingly.
“Sam and I were in a rough spot,”
Katie finally said.
“He’d started becoming secretive these past two months. I knew he had new friends because I heard him on the phone with them, and he mentioned them a few times, but he never introduced me to them. He spent hours away from the house without telling me where he was going or what he was doing. When I asked him where he was, he said he was with friends, and that was it. He vanished for hours, and I stayed home, worrying.”
Vale wanted to ask why Katie hadn’t told them this earlier, but he didn’t. She was Cyril’s friend, and Cyril had taken the lead. Besides, Cyril probably wasn’t wrong. Katie was grieving, and she’d been in shock when they’d talked to her the other day. She’d just found out that Sam was dead. She probably hadn’t thought to tell them any of this.
He stared at Katie, wondering if she truly had no idea what Sam had been up to. She seemed distraught, but it could be an act, or maybe that was due to Sam being dead. Cyril would never think that about his friend, but Vale didn’t know Katie. He didn’t care about her the way Cyril did, which meant that he saw things in a way Cyril couldn’t.
“Did you try talking to him?”
Cyril asked.
“Of course I did. I asked him what he was up to. I yelled at him when he vanished for hours without telling me where he was. I was worried about him, but he just brushed me off and told me that it was important and that I shouldn’t worry, that he’d fix everything.”
“Do you know why this started?”
“He got fired about five months ago,”
Katie explained as she looked down at her hands again.
“It was nothing he did, or at least, that’s what he told me. He said it was unfair and that he shouldn’t have been fired. He tried finding another job, but it wasn’t easy. I helped him as much as I could, and I told him not to worry, but things were rough.”
Clearly, Sam had decided to try things differently. Finding a new job hadn’t worked, so he’d decided to summon demons. That made zero sense in Vale’s mind, but he wasn’t the one in Sam’s shoes. He’d probably been desperate after losing his job and had latched onto this.
Vale couldn’t say he’d never thought about demons and the supernatural world. He knew about necromancers and magic users. Usually, it wasn’t anything big, just protection spells and things like that, but if there were people who could use magic, who was to say that the same people couldn’t summon demons? Who was to say that demons didn’t exist? Vale didn’t think he’d truly believe in them unless he saw one, but he wasn’t willing to dismiss the idea.
They talked to Katie for a few more minutes, but either she was keeping it to herself, or she really didn’t know anything else. Eventually, Cyril declared they needed to go. He was probably trying to give her time and space, which Vale thought she’d appreciate.
“What now?”
Cyril asked once they were back in the car.
“Maybe we should go to the lake,”
Vale suggested.
Cyril frowned. “Why?”
“Well, I’ve never been, and I’m curious. I also think that if the police believed it was an accident, they were probably superficial when they examined the scene. We might find something.”
“I can’t say I’m eager to visit that place.”
“You can stay in the car.”
“Maybe I will,”
Cyril murmured.
Vale wished they didn’t have to do it, but for now, it was a waiting game, and both he and Cyril found it frustrating. Maybe going to the lake wouldn’t change anything, but it was something to try instead of going straight home and staring at the walls.
THERE WAS NOTHING AT the lake.
Cyril wasn’t surprised, and he wished they hadn’t come. He didn’t want to be where Sam had died. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Sam had been thinking when it happened and what he’d gone through, and he hated it. He’d never been so close to death before, even though he worked with dead people almost every day.
In a way, he was lucky. He’d only ever had his mother, which meant he’d never lost anyone. His father had died, but Cyril had been too young to truly make sense of it. He couldn’t ignore Sam’s death, though.
He stayed by the car as he watched Vale poke around. He didn’t want to go anywhere near the water, but he would if Vale needed him to. He hoped he wouldn’t. The thought that Sam had died in there freaked him out. He doubted he’d ever come back to the lake, not even in the hottest summers.
It was a pity because it was a beautiful place. On calm days like today, the surface of the lake was so still that it felt like time was suspended. It was impossible to believe that anyone could die here, but Sam had. He’d died in the calm water that reflected the clouds lazily drifting in the sky. He’d died amongst the sound of the birds singing and the insects buzzing, amongst the scents of the wild plants and flowers that framed the lake.
There were worst places to die, but Cyril wished Sam hadn’t died at all.
Vale crouched and poked at something on the sand. Cyril frowned, but he didn’t move closer to see what it was. He knew that whatever Vale had found, he’d take care of it and tell him.
“Someone built a big fire here,”
Vale said.
“There are footprints, and while they’re messy, I’m pretty sure Sam wasn’t here alone.”
Cyril took a step forward but stopped. He couldn’t do it.
“How many people?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to say at least another three. I think I can see four different sets of footprints.”
So Sam had been here with three people, and they’d built a fire. Why?
“The fire was pretty big, more like a bonfire,”
Vale continued.
“You can’t see it from where you are because of the grass, but it was big enough to get people’s attention.”
Cyril glanced around. The spot where Vale was crouching was close to the lake, and that was where Sam had been found. It looked like he and the people with him had lit the fire, and somehow, Sam had ended up in the lake.
Cyril was frustrated. Without his ability to talk to Sam, he couldn’t find out what happened. It made him feel useless.
Who was he if he wasn’t a necromancer? How was he supposed to help people if he couldn’t talk to them? How could he keep his promise to Katie and find out what Sam had gone through?
Cyril was useless like this, and he hated it. He needed to do something, but without his ability, nothing he could do would be enough.
THE FRONT DOOR OF THE apartment clicked shut behind them, the sound barely audible over Cyril’s shaky exhale. His shoulders slumped in what Vale knew was frustration and defeat. He could read his boyfriend’s expression like an open book because Cyril didn’t hide things from him.
Vale watched him carefully, his gaze softening as he took in the way Cyril’s dark hair stuck up at odd angles from running his hands through it all day and the faint tremor in his fingers as they clenched into fists. He was taking this hard. Vale didn’t have to ask to know that Cyril was worried about getting his ability back and about not being able to help his friend. He wished there was more he could do for him, but beyond supporting him, Vale was useless in this situation.
They hadn’t found much at the lake, but it was enough for Vale to be sure that Sam’s death hadn’t been an accident. It was frustrating for Vale, and he could imagine how much worse it was for Cyril. He’d been quiet on the way back, but he didn’t need to say anything for Vale to know what he’d been thinking about.
“I can’t do it, Vale,”
Cyril muttered.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve tried everything—everything—and I still can’t reanimate people.”
He laughed bitterly.
“I bet I couldn’t even reanimate a damn mouse right now.”
He started pacing the length of the living room. It wasn’t big, but apparently, Cyril didn’t care about that.
“What if it’s gone for good?”
he asked.
“What if I’m just broken now?”
Vale’s heart hurt at the pain and fear in Cyril’s voice. He stepped forward, catching Cyril by the arm and stopping him.
“You’re not broken,”
Vale said. He kept his voice low and steady in the hope of comforting Cyril.
“You’re just tired. We’ve been at this for days. You need to breathe and allow your body to heal.”
Cyril shook his head and tried to pull away, but Vale didn’t let go. Instead, he tugged Cyril closer, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Cyril stiffened at first, but then he melted and allowed Vale to take his weight. He pressed his face against Vale’s chest, muffling a choked sob as his hands fisted in the fabric of Vale’s shirt.
Sometimes, Vale wasn’t quite sure what to do. Cyril was his first real relationship, and it left Vale feeling a little lost. He wanted nothing more than to promise that everything would be okay, but he couldn’t, and he hated it. He needed to do more, but there was nothing more he could do.
“It’s okay,”
he murmured, brushing his lips against Cyril’s temple and praying it would be enough.
“You’re okay. We’ll figure this out together like we always do.”
Cyril’s breath hitched, his voice small and vulnerable.
“But what if we don’t? What if I can’t fix this? Katie and Sam need me, Vale. Katie is counting on me, and I’m letting her down.”
Vale cupped Cyril’s face, tilting it upward so they could look at each other. He brushed away a tear from Cyril’s cheek and once again wished he could do more.
“You’re not letting anyone down. You’re doing everything you can, but you have to remember that you’re not alone.”
For a moment, Cyril just stared at him. He looked like he was about to argue, so Vale readied himself for it, but Cyril didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned into Vale’s touch, his eyelids fluttering shut as he exhaled.
“I don’t deserve you,”
he whispered.
Vale never wanted Cyril to believe that. If anything, it was Vale who didn’t deserve Cyril.
“Yeah, you do.”
Cyril’s lips twitched into a smile, and that was all the encouragement Vale needed. He dipped his head to capture Cyril’s mouth in a slow kiss. It wasn’t demanding or hurried—it was soft, patient, and full of unspoken promises that Vale couldn’t put into words because he didn’t know how. He wanted Cyril to know how much he meant to him, though. Hell, right now, Cyril needed to know.
Cyril’s hands slid up Vale’s chest to loop around his neck and pull him closer as he kissed back with a desperation that made Vale’s heart clench. He wanted to give Cyril everything he yearned for, and he prayed he’d be able to.
When they finally parted, Cyril’s breathing was uneven. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were bright with something other than the sadness he’d felt before—which was what Vale had been aiming for.
Vale smiled and reached up to brush a strand of dark hair from Cyril’s forehead. Cyril kept saying that he needed to get it cut, but he forgot every time. Vale didn’t mind. He liked Cyril looking a little messy.
“Better?”
he asked gently.
Cyril nodded, though his expression turned sheepish.
“A little. But I think I need more convincing.”
Vale raised an eyebrow as he smiled. There was the Cyril he’d been trying to coax out.
“Oh? And how exactly do you expect me to convince you?”
Instead of answering, Cyril slipped his hands under Vale’s t-shirt and skimmed his fingers over the planes of his stomach. Vale sucked in a sharp breath. His muscles tensed under Cyril’s touch. He wanted more.
“Like this,”
Cyril murmured. He didn’t sound sad anymore, and the heat in his voice went straight to Vale’s groin.
Vale’s hands dropped to Cyril’s hips, gripping them tightly as he pulled him harder against his body. “Cyril,”
he said with a growl.
“I love you.”
Cyril’s expression softened, and he leaned closer to nip at Vale’s jaw.
“I know. I love you, too.”
Vale kissed Cyril again, but this time, he didn’t stop there. They stumbled toward the bedroom, and Vale had never been so happy that the apartment was so small. It didn’t take them more than five minutes to reach the bedroom—more time than it would have if they hadn’t been kissing and trying to get each other naked.
They discarded their clothes on the floor in their haste to feel skin against skin, dropping them as they went. Vale noticed something skitter from under his t-shirt and made a mental note to keep an eye on Oscar in case he tried to suffocate him by sitting on him the whole night in revenge. The damn thing was always sweet with Cyril, but he could have a mean streak where Vale was concerned, and it wouldn’t be the first time that Vale woke up with him sitting on his face.
By the time they tumbled onto the bed, Cyril was laughing breathlessly, his worries apparently forgotten as Vale pinned him under him. Even if it didn’t last, at least Cyril was happy now.
“I love you,”
Vale repeated because Cyril deserved to hear it again and again. He leaned down to trail a line of kisses down Cyril’s neck.
“I love you,”
Cyril breathed out as he arched into Vale’s touch.
His hands roamed over Vale’s body, exploring him with a reverence that left Vale breathless. Sex had never been like this for him. It was usually hurried and perfunctory, but not with Cyril. Cyril turned sex into love.
Their bodies pressed against each other, finally naked. Vale wanted Cyril to forget about everything outside the bedroom, and he knew how to do that.
He rolled Cyril to his front and pinned him on the mattress, trapping him with his legs and arms while holding him down by the shoulders. Cyril gasped when Vale pressed his hard cock against his ass crack and pushed back, telling Vale what he wanted.
“You’re insatiable,”
Vale teased, trailing a line of kisses down Cyril’s neck. It sent shivers down Cyril’s spine. His reaction made Vale grin. He had Cyril right where he wanted him.
“Only for you.”
Cyril’s voice was muffled by his pillow.
He arched his back in invitation as he turned his head to the side, and their lips met hungrily. He moaned when Vale grazed his teeth along his earlobe, sucking on it lightly before moving lower toward his throat and nipping him there.
Vale chuckled as he nibbled on Cyril’s skin. He trailed his hands over every inch of Cyril’s skin he could reach, eager for more as he flipped him to his back. He kissed a trail down Cyril’s chest and across his stomach before descending further still, moving around his belly button after kissing a freckle just above it. The way Cyril reacted to Vale’s touch was intoxicating.
Vale paused between Cyril’s legs, taking in the sight of his lover’s cock standing hard and leaking. It was beautiful, just like the rest of Cyril.
Without warning, Vale leaned forward and engulfed the head of Cyril’s dick in his mouth, causing Cyril to squeak. He danced his tongue around the tip while reaching down to stroke Cyril’s balls. His taste on Vale’s tongue sent shivers down Vale’s spine, and he moaned around Cyril’s cock before starting to suckle. Pumping his mouth in time with his hand, Vale took more of Cyril in as his boyfriend wriggled beneath him.
Cyril’s whimpers echoed through the room. His fingers tangled in Vale’s hair and pulled, causing a pleasant sting Vale enjoyed, leaving him aching for more. Cyril bucked up into Vale’s mouth with each suction until Vale was done teasing him. He needed more. They both did.
Vale pushed his fingers into his mouth alongside Cyril’s cock and sucked hard. Cyril moaned and slapped a hand toward the nightstand, but Vale didn’t wait for him to find the lube. He slid his dripping fingers lower as he kept his mouth on Cyril’s cock, gently prodding at Cyril’s hole. Cyril was tight, but his body welcomed Vale in when Vale pushed a finger inside of him.
Something landed on the mattress next to Vale’s shoulder. He arched a brow at Cyril—who didn’t look one bit sorry—and reached for the lube. He struggled a bit to open it one-handed, but he didn’t want to stop fucking Cyril with his finger until he absolutely had to.
He eventually managed and quickly squirted lube on his fingers before pushing two of them inside of Cyril. Cyril’s thighs tightened around Vale’s body as he arched his back. Vale was a patient man, but even he wouldn’t be able to resist this much longer.
As soon as Cyril was ready, Vale kneeled up and positioned himself between his legs. He pushed slowly, teasingly, rubbing circles around Cyril’s entrance until Cyril was pushing back against him. When he finally slid in, he leaned forward to allow Cyril to wrap himself around him. Cyril did so instantly, hugging Vale close and kissing him sloppily.
It was unhurried but intense. Every touch and caress from Vale was meant to reassure and comfort Cyril—and to make him feel cherished. Vale took his time, mapping what he could reach of Cyril’s body with his lips and tongue, drawing gasps and moans from him. Cyril clung to Vale and dug his nails into his back as if he never wanted to let go.
Nothing existed beyond this bedroom, or at least, that was what Vale wanted Cyril to feel like for a little while.
It didn’t last nearly long enough.
Cyril came first, whimpering through his pleasure as Vale continued fucking him. Vale waited until he felt Cyril’s body relax before allowing himself to follow. Cyril held him through it just like Vale had done for him, and Vale turned his head to the side to capture his lips again.
They lay tangled together, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Cyril rested his head on Vale’s chest, and Vale knew he was listening to the beat of his heart. For the first time in days, Cyril wasn’t tense. Vale hoped that he felt safe and like everything would be all right eventually. He wasn’t sure how he’d make it happen, but he’d find a way.
He ran his fingers through Cyril’s hair, hoping his touch would help soothe Cyril.
“Feeling better?”
he asked. His voice was a little rough.
Cyril hummed and nuzzled closer.
“Yeah. Thank you. I’m still worried, but this helped. I love you.”
“I love you, too,”
Vale replied. He tightened his hold on Cyril, vowing silently to protect him from whatever lay ahead—including Cyril himself.