She closed her eyes and breathed him in, as he gently took her face in his hands. "Tell me what's wrong," he said in a soft whisper,
His concern and affection made her heart swell with love while doing a little happy dance. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t in this alone. She knew it was time to tell him. She'd just hoped to have had a solution to the problem before she broke the bad news. Since she still had zilch, she let out the breath she'd been holding and spilled the beans. "There were some complications when we were bringing you back."
"Okay. What type of complications?"
"I tried to explain to everyone that bringing back the dead could be tricky. You see, for every life force you bring back, you have to steal a little bit of life force from someone else. It's the reason you're only supposed to say the spell once, especially when there's a New Moon. The cards were stacked against us from the beginning. I didn't know if you were dead or just lost, so I had to cast a spell that allowed for both. Even with the help of the Charmed Ones 2.0, as Camille lovingly refers to them, we didn't have enough power the first time to bring you back. I told them we couldn’t say the spell again, but Ariel was insistent and pleaded with me to continue. She said if I loved you, I'd do whatever it took to bring you home. So, I did as she asked because I do love you."
"First off, I want to say thank you. I can't imagine what you must have went through. Second, I'm sorry Ariel forced you into casting a spell you were uncomfortable with. When she sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her. But rest assured, I'll speak with her about it."
Cecelia frantically shook her head like she was trying to clear out the cobwebs. She couldn't let him think she didn't want to help, so she placed a finger over his lips to prevent him from talking. "First, your welcome. Second, your sister didn't force me to do anything. In case you haven't noticed, I’m a grown woman who can make my own decisions."
"Oh, I’ve noticed,” Dillen replied, as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. When she relaxed a little and started laughing, he continued their conversation. “But, that still doesn't explain why you look so worried. What am I missing?"
"The two life forces I borrowed from so to speak were mine and Ariel's," Cecelia said with a groan. I know it was wrong to steal Ariel’s life force, but it was either that or let you die. While it doesn’t excuse what I’ve done, I promise to tell her everything today. Not only does she need to know, but she also needs to hear it from me. I’ve really screwed things up, Dillen.”
"I still don't understand what's so wrong about what you did. How did you screw things up if we’re all still alive?"
Letting out a heavy sigh, she looked him in the eye and decided it was time to stop beating around the bush. They were going in circles and getting nowhere fast. Time was of the essence. They had to prevent a Zombie Apocalypse, figure out what to do with Bridezilla, and disconnect their life forces. Her mother had always told her to just rip the damn bandage off when she had a problem because it was far less painful. She just hoped her mother had been right.
"I can't send Bertie back to whatever hellhole she was living in. If I do, then you, Ariel and I will join her. When the spell didn't work the first time, we had to say it again, which meant I had to take more of our life force. When you returned wounded and I felt like I was dying, I’d initially thought it was our connection. You know, the fact that we’re mates. But, when I looked to Ariel for help, only to discover she wasn’t in any better shape than I was, I knew I’d taken too much of our life forces. If it hadn't been for Claire understanding something was wrong, we'd all be dead."
"I see."
"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Cecelia replied in a high pitched voice. His reaction was puzzling to her. She'd expected anger and confusion. Not, I see. They were bound together for all eternity. Although she didn’t have a problem being bound to Dillen, his sister might not feel the same. Did he really understand that if one of them died, they all died? How could he be so freaking calm knowing that she’d just handed them all a death sentence?
"Look at me, Cecelia. What's done is done. We can't go back and change it. All we can do is come up with a plan that will contain Bertie and allow our life forces to remain in this realm. I'm not angry at you and Ariel won't be either. She begged you to do whatever was necessary to save my life and you did. I would never hold you responsible for the consequences we might suffer, especially since we were going up against the Fates. I may only be a shifter, but I know there are always risks. You took one and it paid off. We'll deal with the consequences together. End of story. Now, can we go inside? I'm hungry and it smells like someone is barbecuing."
A little shocked by his reaction, she simply nodded and exited the truck. She was still worried about what would happen if they had to banish Bertie back to hell, but she had faith that Dillen and the rest of the gang would help her find a loophole to their situation. He was right. They couldn’t change what had been done. Yet, when she envisioned her Happily Ever After with the man she loved, it hadn’t involved a zombie bride and his baby sister. Then again, nothing was perfect. You take the good with the bad and hope for the best. She was an expert at hoping for the best because she’d been doing it all her life. She could do anything, as long as she had her girls and Dillen by her side.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dillen’s stomach growled the moment they’d walked into the farmhouse, but he needed to tame his hunger and find his sister. He knew she was here because he felt their connection. It was stronger than it’d ever been and he wasn’t sure if it was because their life forces were now entwined forever, or if his experience with death had heightened both of their senses. Either way, he was grateful to the Fates and the Goddess for the second chance.
He kissed Cecelia on the forehead and whispered in her ear that he’d be back. He needed to discuss a few things with his sister. Her solemn nod had him pulling her into his arms for a kiss. She hadn’t realized it yet, but he needed her as much as she needed him. He may have been the King of his Pride, but it was true what everyone said. It was lonely at the top. The only thing that had kept him going over the years was knowing Cecelia was his mate. He’d been patient and waited her out, which went against every primal instinct in his body, but it had paid off in the end. They were together and that’s all that mattered. He wouldn’t let Bertie or anyone else come between them ever again.
It took him longer than usual to make his way through the house, which was a little strange, but he ignored and continued seeking out his sister. He nodded at Symone, as she whizzed by him with what looked like a set of costumes. As he made his way to the backyard, he found Jasper, Mac, Cole, and Alec building a stage. Camille was speaking animatedly with Fabio about something, and Scroogess was helping one of the zombies put on makeup. He wanted to ask everyone what the hell was going on, but instead, he made a beeline for his sister. She was under one of the shade trees speaking intently with Claire. From the look on her face and the vibes she was throwing off, she already knew about their predicament.
“Hey Claire. Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with my sister in private for a moment,” he said in a calm, soothing voice. The minute he felt his sister’s heart beat slow, he relaxed a little himself.
“Sure, Dillen,” Claire replied, as she stood, patted him on the back and walked away.
He followed his sister into one of the adjacent barns where they could speak in private. Before he could utter a word, she turned and gave him a hug, which told him she knew everything. He immediately hugged her back and simply enjoyed the moment. She hadn’t hugged him this way since their parents’ death. She’d been eighteen and struggling to find her way. In the beginning, she’d let the anger consume her, but a month after their burial, he’d found her in their room crying. It had ripped his heart out to see her in so much pain. They’d made a promise that night to protect one another at all cost. To this day, they’d kept their promise to one another.
“How long have you known?” D
illen asked, as he hugged her tighter.
“Not long,” Ariel replied in a soft voice. “I didn’t understand why I’d been having nightmares about you in a creepy garden with Bridezilla. Or, why my chest felt like it was on fire at times? When I asked Claire if she could see what was going on, she explained to me what Cecelia had done to save you. I know it was wrong to push her, but I needed her to bring you back. You’re my only family. I couldn’t lose you like I lost mom and dad. You understand, right?”
“It’s not your fault, Ariel. It’s mine. I should have watched over you better when we were battling Paimon. I didn’t think. Just reacted and now we’re paying the price. A part of me hates that we’ve dragged Cecelia into this mess, but the other part of me is happy that we’re finally together.
I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through over the last couple of weeks. I now it must have been hard for you. I never intended to dredge up bad memories. I was hard on you when mom and dad died, and it kills me to know that you had to deal with my death alone.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m not. We made a long time ago to protect one another. That’s what I did, and I won’t apologize for it. You’re my only family, and if there was a chance that I could bring you back, I was taking it. Damn the consequences. You’re right, I shouldn’t have dragged Cecelia into our mess, but it was the only way to save you. Besides, she’s in love with you and have been for years. Who better to help save you than someone who loves you as much as I do? I had no choice and I’m fully prepared to suffer the consequences.”
“You know it’s not that simple, Ariel. Cecelia’s life is at risk, too. From what I understand, our life forces are entwined. If one of us dies, we all die.”
Ariel stepped out of her brother’s arms and looked him directly in the eyes. “Yes, I understand. But you need to understand too. I would have done anything to save you. Next to mom and dad, watching you die in my arms was the most horrific thing I’ve ever experienced. I felt helpless, lost, and angry. Helplessness in that I couldn’t do anything to keep you with me. Lost because without you, I have no one. Angry because the Fates fucked me over once again. I don’t understand why they keep taking everyone I love,” she said, as a sob slipped from her lips.
Dillen pulled her back into his arms and comforted her as she let it all out. He’d had no idea how much his death had taken a toll on his baby sister. She was all the family he had left and if the roles were reversed, he had to admit that he would have done the same thing. Grateful they were still together, he let the silence wash over him, as they comforted one another while the world went on around them.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Oh my Goddess, you’re finally here,” Camille exclaimed, as she gave Cecelia a hug. “What took you so long? Wait, don’t tell me. Let’s save it for after the show.”
The minute Cecelia laid eyes on her friend, she knew she was experiencing the mother of all sugar highs. She also knew it was going to be a long day. Camille was talking a hundred miles an hour and she had yet to get a word in. At the moment, she was going on and on about the zombies, flying yoga, a movie called Zombieland, and a musical. Why in the hell had they been watching Zombieland? Didn’t all the zombies in the move die? Did she dare ask about the musical?
“Slow down, Camille and tell me what’s going on,” Cecelia said in the calmest voice she could muster up.
“Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have had that last sugar cookie and that quad shot macchiato with those four pumps of caramel and the extra caramel drizzle, but I needed the extra boost. Know what I mean?”
“Sure,” she replied in a noncommittal voice, but Camille kept talking as if she’d never spoken a word.
“Anyway, last night, Fabio and I thought it would be cool to watch Zombieland to make our guests feel more at home. Except, that didn’t go so well because all the zombies die in the end. Yeah, it was an oversight on our part, but at least we tried. Then, Fabio thought after such a traumatic experience, we should help our friends relax. This is where the flying yoga came in, which is freaking cool by the way. You totally have to try it sometime.”
“Um. Camille.”
“Hmm,” her friend quickly replied.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Cecelia looked at her friend who was bouncing around like she was sitting on pins and needles and finally gave up trying to slow her down. She was like a runaway freight train on a mission to destroy the next town. There was no stopping her now. “Never mind. Finish telling me what happened.”
“Oh, okay. Needless to say, the flying yoga didn’t work out so well.”
“Imagine that,” Cecelia said with a smirk.
“I know, right? Who knew their body parts would go flying everywhere… literally. But that was only the beginning. Zeb’s arm kept hitting Cole in the butt, which didn’t end well for anyone. Who knew the dragon had such a temper? Anyway, one thing led to another and Cole might have set Zeb’s sequined Fab-a-tards on fire.”
“What?” Cecelia exclaimed. “You’re shitting me, right? Where’s the cameras because it’s obvious I’m being punk’d?”
“Afraid not,” Symone replied, as she walked by with a handful of costumes.
“Why is Symone caring costumes?” Cecelia asked.
“I’m getting to that part if you’d just let me finish. I don’t understand why everyone keeps interrupting my stories. They’re great stories. Everybody says so,” Camille whined.
Letting out another sigh, Cecelia conceded and said, “Fine. Finish your story.”
“Thanks. Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Fortunately, the Charmed Ones 2.0 were able to put out the fire with causing any further damage to Zeb. Thank the Goddess.”
“Camille, you still haven’t answered my question. Why is Symone caring costumes and what is that banging noise?
“Oh, that’s easy. Why didn’t you just ask?” Camille replied, nonchalantly.
“I just did,” Camille said through gritted teeth. Her headache was back and she was running out of patience. Not to mention, she was worried about how Dillen’s conversation was going with his sister. Would the lioness want to rip her apart? She hoped not because she was sort of attached to all her limbs.
“CeCe, are you listening to me? I’m trying to tell you about all the pounding,” Camille admonished. Her hands were now on her curvy hips and she looked annoyed.
Join the club, Cecelia thought. “I’m listening, Camille. Please, continue.”
“Well, when the flying yoga turned out to be a bust, Fabio and I thought it would be cool to have the zombies star in a musical. Jeb and Precious have amazing voices. Since they enjoyed watching the movie, Hairspray, it was the obvious choice.”
“Okay, that explains the costumes, but what about the banging and drilling.”
“Duh, we needed a stage, so the boys are building us one. They needed to let out a little pent up anger after our flying yoga session, if you know what I mean.”
“More than you know,” Cecelia replied, but Camille ignored her. She’d already moved on to the next topic of the day. She made a mental note never to let the woman mix sugar cookies and a quad shot macchiato with four pumps of caramel and caramel drizzle on top, again.
“Hello. Anyone home?” Camille asked, as she waived her hand in front of Cecelia’s face.
“Stop it! I’m fine,” Cecelia yelled, as she slapped Camille’s hand away.
“My peeps tell me that they’ve finished the stage. This show is going to awesome. I can’t wait for you to see it. We’ve been rehearsing all night. I can’t wait for you to see Jeb. He’s fantastic as Edna Turnbald. Precious is playing his daughter, Tracy and Zeb is playing Link Larking. Turns out, he’s a little sweet on Precious. There’s only one problem, Precious is sweet on Scawdy. It’s like Fifty Shades of Grey, I tell you. Only with a threesome instead of a twosome. Who knew? But like his brother, he has a killer voice. They all do to be honest. Once Fabio and Scawdy mixed up a batch of zombie zest cream and their limbs stopped falling off, we discov
ered they all had some serious dance moves. I’m so excited. This is my first musical production as a director. Can you believe? First, there’s a Zombie Apocalypse, and now I’m an off-Broadway Producer. Who knew my life would become so adventurous?” Camille exclaimed, as she rushed off to check out the new stage.
“Who knew indeed?” Cecelia murmured under her breath. She was exhausted just listening to her friend. Hopefully, the sugar high she was riding would wear off soon, or they’d all be in trouble. In the meantime, she bypassed all the craziness and went to find Dillen. Hopefully, his conversation with Ariel had gone better than hers with Camille.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Cecelia stepped into the backyard and watched all her friends scurrying around like busy little bees. It was odd, but none of them seemed too worried that there were zombies loose in Bass Ackwards, which was rather odd. In fact, they seemed more intent on finishing up the set for the musical. Fabio and Camille were yelling orders. Several of the men were putting the final touches on the stage. And oddly enough, the zombies were practicing their parts. Camille had been right, Zeb really had a nice voice. She took a seat on the porch and watched as they rehearsed something that sounded like, You Can't Stop The Beat, only zombie style.
Precious singing:
You can't stop an apocalypse
As zombies appear from out of the air
You can try to stop them from eating your brain
Witchin' Up the Dead Page 7