Page 164 of Finders Reapers

Fletcher’s gaze grew soft. “You are here.” He whispered.

I had no idea what he meant by that.

The door on the other side of the room opened with a click, and Rome appeared on the other side, pulling a cigarette out of the pocket of his leather jacket. He slipped the cigarette behind his ear and froze as he looked up to greet his roommates—his eyes found mine immediately.

“You brought the corpse back?” Rome’s accent thickened. “A wisp shouldn’t have been able to stay in the body for more than a minute. It shouldn’t be able to control the body at all.” He pointed out. “You brought a demon into our home,” Rome added dryly, with finality.

“She’s a demon, for sure.” Fletcher sat back, and his slight smile broadened into a smirk. He stood up with a flourish and danced over to Rome.

Rome’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Fletcher reached forward for the cigarette behind his ear, and Rome jerked backward.

“What are you doing?” Rome demanded.

“Trust me,” Fletcher whispered.

Rome squinted at the man in a tartan shirt and ripped dark skinny jeans before nodding slowly.

I had no idea where Fletcher was doing, but he plucked the cigarette from Rome’s ear before snapping it in half and scattering the tobacco on the floor.

Visibly uncomfortable, I stood up. “That was unnecessary.” I griped. “Don’t be a litterbug.”

Rome froze. “What did you say?”

“It was a very normal thing to say.” I crossed my arms over my chest and rubbed the side of my nose to stop it from twitching. “Be part of the solution, not the pollution.”

Rome’s hand flew to his mouth, and he started to shake.

I had never seen such a reaction from Mr. Tall, Dark, and Deadly. I stepped back.

“It’s her,” Rome whispered.

“She doesn’t remember anything.” Fletcher turned back to me. “I think she’s been watching us, though. She doesn’t know who she is.”

“Damn.” Jamal laughed, but it sounded like he had a lump in his throat. “I would have been on my best behavior if I knew I had an audience.”

“I didn’ttryto watch you all.” I shifted from foot to foot.

“Valentina,” Maddox called, and my head snapped in his direction before I had a chance to think about it. He nodded and turned to the guys as they continued their conversation about me as if I wasn’t there. “I think she was pulled here by the soul bond. It probably tethered her to us, even when she didn’t know who we were.”

I rubbed my chest, feeling an ache of familiarity at the words‘soul bond’. Was that the golden thread that I felt inside of me? Was that the reason that I didn’t exist when I couldn’t see one of my guys?

“Should we call Charon?” Fletcher worried his bottom lip.

“I’m not sure.” Maddox rubbed his hand over his shorn head. “I can think of one way to fix this and to help bring her back to us, completely.”

Rome gave him a look as slow realization dawned on his features.

I eyed them dubiously. I had been incorporeal for years. Granted, they didn’t know they had a ghostly neighbor hanging around, or they probably would have tried to banish me.

“I don’t think I’m who you think I am,” I told them, worried that I would disappoint them.

Rome stepped forward and reached out for my hands. I reluctantly let him hold my fingers.

Rome.

I was struggling and had no idea how to act. For years, I had climbed in their beds and watched them sleep. I had watched them fuck. I had watched them cry alone and pray to a God that ignored them—unaging and unchanging.

“Do you trust me?” Rome whispered.