by A. J. Locke
Kyo just nodded, still seeming in a daze. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s…let’s do it.”
We ended up on the floor of Ethan’s room, where we had moved Kyo’s body. I locked Luna in my room to keep her from interfering, and Snake Eyes seemed content to stay in the kitchen since the light wasn’t on in there. I knelt down next to Kyo’s body and beckoned him over. He came and crouched on my right.
“I’ve never done a reanimation like this before,” I said. “I only used evolved reanimation power to put Luna’s ghost back into her body last year. I don’t have the science of it figured out, but I remember what I did with her, and I think it will work with you. Are you ready?”
Kyo nodded, his face as serious as I had ever seen it. I couldn’t imagine what his thoughts were like right now. After spending three hundred years as a ghost in the In Between, I was sure he was trying to maintain the idea that it might not work out so he wouldn’t be devastated if things didn’t go as planned. But I was going to do my best to make sure they did.
I blew out a breath and steadied myself. “All right,” I said. “Here goes.”
I held one hand, palm flat, against the chest of Kyo’s body, and held the other hand an inch or so away from Kyo’s ghost. Then I closed my eyes and focused on my reanimation power. I channeled it to my hands, touching both Kyo and his ghost with it. My lips started moving as I started whispering a spell that was somehow in my head. It had been the same when I reanimated Luna. My reanimation power filled up Kyo’s body and engulfed his ghost, and when I knew it was time, I slowly moved my hands together. Without opening my eyes, I knew that Kyo’s ghost was moving as well, following the pull of my reanimation power back into his body. I opened my eyes in time to see Kyo’s ghost sink into his physical skin with his eyes on mine. Seconds later he was gone, and I felt my reanimation power stitch his soul back where it belonged. Once it was finished, I recalled my reanimation power and pulled it back into myself. Then I sat there with bated breath and stared at Kyo. I was feeling a million different things as I kept my eyes focused on his face. The seconds that ticked by felt like hours as I waited to see something happen.
“Come on, Kyo,” I whispered. “Open your eyes…come on.” Kyo remained lying still. His ghost was gone; it was definitely back in his body, so he should wake up. Panic seized me as I wondered if binding myself to a ghost animal had really given me the power to do this. It had felt like it did but…
I tentatively reached out my hand to feel if there was a pulse in his neck. I wasn’t sure what I would do if there wasn’t one. I didn’t know how I would handle not only failing at this but losing Kyo’s ghost in the process.
“Come on Kyo…please. Come back to life.” I touched my fingers to his skin.
Kyo’s eyes flew open and he took a huge, gulping breath and sat straight up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Kyo and I sat there staring at each other for several heartbeats. My mouth was open in shock. I had to admit that a small part of me didn’t think I would be able to pull this off. I had been frightened, nervous, anxious, hopeful, determined, all sorts of conflicting emotions, but it looked like the only ones I needed to focus on were the ones where I had told myself that this would work out.
“Kyo…” Before I could get another word out Kyo flung his arms around me and enveloped me in probably the tightest hug I had ever been in. I felt his heart beating wildly against my chest and smiled as I hugged him back. When he pulled back, he grabbed my face between his hands and stared at me. He was breathing hard and fast, as though he’d just been running around frantically. His eyes, which had welled with tears, searched my face, and it didn’t seem as though he knew what to say. So instead he did something that sent a jolt of shock through me. He kissed me. It was a quick, hard press of his lips against mine, and happened so quickly I could do nothing but sit there with my eyes wide open. When he pulled back, he started laughing and tears slipped down his cheeks. His skin flushed in a healthy, emotion-filled way as he wiped at his tears then stared at the moisture on his skin. He felt his entire body with his hands, then dropped his head back and raised his fists in triumph. He looked at me again. I smiled at him. I wasn’t going to say anything about the kiss; it had all been a part of his intense joy at being alive again. I could give him a pass. And the jolt that had gone through me had just been due to the unexpectedness of it. Right?
“There is absolutely no way I will ever be able to repay you for this,” he said. “I never thought this would…I just can’t believe…I mean you did so much…” He started laughing again as tears continued to fall. He hugged me again. When he pulled back his face sobered up a bit. “Thank you for pulling me from the darkness,” he said softly. “A darkness I thought would have me in its grasp forever. I never thought I would get a chance to feel like this again.” He took my hand and touched it to his chest where I felt his rapidly beating heart. “This…oh, this…”
I couldn’t help my own tears from falling. In light of all the terrible things going on, least of which was that my boyfriend was a soul-less Savage, this was a much needed bright spot. I had at least been able to see this all the way through with Kyo, and it certainly had not been an easy journey getting here. But seeing the joy on his face, I knew it was more than worth it.
“Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu,” Kyo said. “Ore wo tasuketa.”
“Whoa, whoa, other than Kage-Oni, that’s the first time I’ve heard you speak Japanese!”
“Being a ghost for so long, I was disconnected from everything. From the world, from myself, from my culture. My entire identity was stripped away from me. Speaking Japanese…it didn’t feel right. It didn’t make me feel happy. It was like I was trying to hold on to water. No matter how tightly I held my hands closed it would slip away. Now I am myself again. Anata no okage de. Because of you.”
I smiled. “And what did you say before? I think I at least understood arigatou.”
“I said thank you so much,” he replied. “You saved me.”
“So does that mean you’ll be speaking Japanese more and making me give you confused looks?”
“Sou…kamoshirenai.”
I gave him a flat look and he laughed.
“Yes…maybe,” he translated.
“Well, Ethan will be happy. I’ve heard him ask you to translate things from his anime before.”
“Hmm, maybe I won’t make him aware that I’m speaking Japanese again.”
“Too late, the jig is up, I’m definitely going to let him know. Before long he will be pestering you for lessons.”
“Baka!” He laughed and scrambled to his feet and started walking and jumping around.
“Hey, I learned that one from Ethan, it means stupid, doesn’t it!”
He didn’t answer because he was busy going around Ethan’s room touching random things. I stood up as well.
“I can feel! I can truly feel! When I touch things, I can feel them! I can smell things! Oh my God…” He ran back over to me and took my hands. “Selene, there are no words! You are my savior.” I received a third, tight hug. Kyo was giddy with excitement and it warmed my heart to see it.
“I’m beyond happy for you,” I said. “I’m glad you found me in the In Between then crossed back over, found me again, told me a crazy story, and convinced me to help you.” We grinned at each other. “So, what do you want to do first?”
“Get out of these clothes!” he said. “And eat! Oh man, I want to eat. My last meal was three hundred years ago and I am now feeling how empty my stomach is. If I don’t eat I might die.”
“Har, har,” I said. “Ethan cooked earlier; I’ll go warm us up some food. Why don’t you take a shower and put on some of Ethan’s clothes. His T-shirts should fit but you’re taller than him so his jeans may not. I think Micah has some clothes here, hold on.” I found a pair of Micah’s jeans and he selected one of Ethan’s tees. A G.I. Joe one. Then I showed him how to operate our modern day shower and went to heat up some food. When Kyo cam
e out, I couldn’t help but laugh at how he looked in jeans and a T-shirt, which was a bit snug because he was broader and more toned than Ethan. He was also clean-shaven, and his damp hair hung loose around his shoulders.
“I found a pack of razors in the bathroom, they were easy enough to figure out,” he said, taking a seat at the counter. “Three hundred years with stubble is long enough. And I would love a haircut.”
“I’ll take you to a barber shop soon,” I said, placing a plate of food in front of him. He said nothing more and dove in, eating with a voracity I can’t say I’ve ever eaten with before. The food and juice I got for him were finished in record time.
“Oh that was so good, so good,” he said. “Ethan knows his way around the kitchen.”
“Now he does,” I said, laughing. “A few months ago we were lucky if he fixed a plate that didn’t have something burned on it.”
“Well I’m glad I’m here now and not then,” Kyo said with a grin. “What else can I eat?” He proceeded to inspect the pantry and sampled cookies, trail mix, protein bars, Rice Krispie treats, and an assorted bag of chocolate that he found in the fridge. He declared all of them to be delicious. I had a feeling he’d say that about anything though. Even if it was the most foul food on earth. Like brussels sprouts.
Once Kyo’s stomach was sated, we sat on the couch watching the news. I don’t know if Luna realized Kyo was different now, but she was still content to curl up in his lap over mine. Snake Eyes had left the kitchen once I’d put the light on, but returned once I took it off. He was curled up by the stove. I guess I’d have to build some kind of dark shelter for him. Something told me I wouldn’t see much of him during the light of day. He already seemed more substantial, which I knew was a result of the bond. He had seemed rather ethereal with his serpentine body covered in shadows, but even though the moving shadows were still there, the form within them was more solid.
“So it looks like the Savages have not resurfaced,” Kyo said.
“It’s only a matter of time before they do,” I said. I was still happy over Kyo’s reanimation, but my worry over Micah was ever-present. “Finding Micah once the Savages come out again is one thing, but without his soul, I can’t help him or any of the others.”
“Plus there is the fact that your own soul is in danger,” Kyo said.
“Yeah. Revath could show up at any time and yank my soul from my body. To say I’m on edge would be an understatement. What can I do?”
“I honestly am not sure,” Kyo said, looking troubled. “After what you did for me I wish more than anything that I could fix this for you. All I can do is promise to stay by your side and fight with you.”
“You might end up losing your soul to the In Between again.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Kyo said.
I flashed a half smile. “Thanks. So have you readjusted to being alive again? How does it feel to have your magic back?”
“Incredible,” Kyo said, flexing his hands.
“I guess you’ll miss your badass ghost sword though, huh?”
“I will,” he admitted. “I used to be able to just flick my wrist and have a weapon in a flash.” He made the motion of flicking his wrist, and we were both shocked when his ghost sword appeared. We sprang to our feet, though I jumped away from him because the sword had manifested a little too close to my face for comfort. Luna had leaped off his lap and was hiding behind my legs. Kyo and I stared at the white-hot flaming sword in Kyo’s hand. Then we stared at each other.
“You can still conjure your sword?” I looked at him hard to make sure he was indeed in a physical body and not a ghost.
“Uh…I…I guess so?” He flicked his wrist again and the sword disappeared. Then he just stared at his palm. “That’s incredible!”
“Incredibly unbelievable,” I said. “But I guess…not a totally bad thing?”
“I guess,” Kyo said, still seeming in disbelief. “I wonder how the hell I am even able to do that though. I taught myself how to extend my own ghost energy to create that sword. To still be able to do it means that I am somehow able to push my ghost energy outside of my body. Which isn’t something I’ve ever heard of. Have you?”
“No, but that’s not saying much given how many things are turning out to be unknown. But maybe it has to do with how strong your ghost has become after being in the In Between for three centuries?”
“That could be it,” Kyo said. He shrugged. “Well, whatever the reason, I’m not mad at it.” We sat down again.
“Yeah, not the worst thing to be able to have a weapon ready at the flick of a wrist.” I wondered if there were other things Kyo would be able to do and what that meant for him going forward.
“So what should we do next with exposing the dead witches?” he asked.
“I’m going to tell Taj he can run the story,” I said. “I was waiting for you to be put back into your body in case whatever uproar the revelation created caused it to be confiscated. Matter of fact, I’ll call him now. The faster we do this the better, so we can stay ahead of Tielle.” I fished my phone out of my purse and called Taj, but I got an automated message saying that his number was not in service. I hung up and called again, but got the same message. I hung up and stared at the phone with a frown.
“What?” Kyo asked.
“It seems as though his number has been disconnected.”
“Maybe it has to do with the monitoring you asked Carlos to do on him to prevent him from running the story early?”
“Maybe…I don’t even have a number for Carlos so I can ask. When he texted me in the past he used a restricted number. I’ll have to trek out to Queens to find out.” I yawned. “But not tonight. It’s been a day and a half.”
Kyo yawned as well. “My body may have been comatose for a really long time, but it’s not the same as sleeping. After three centuries I am looking forward to falling asleep.”
“You can crash in Ethan’s room,” I said. “He has some sweats you can change into, even if they won’t be a perfect fit.”
“Looks like I will have to go shopping,” Kyo said. “Or stealing, since I don’t have any money.”
I gave him a look. “I did not reanimate you so you could start a life of crime. My paycheck from Tielle was deposited into my account. Likely to be my last paycheck, sadly. But we can go shopping. I will introduce you to the wonderful world of thrift stores.” I yawned again, and that was my cue to get up and go sleep off this incredibly long day. It hadn’t started out so well, but it had ended pretty perfectly. I locked up and turned off the lights, and Kyo and I headed to the bedrooms.
“I will never stop saying thank you,” Kyo said, pausing in front of my bedroom door. “And it will never be enough for what you’ve done for me. You’ve given me back something I never dreamed I would have again.”
“And now you get to go to sleep and have some actual dreams,” I said, smiling.
“If sleep should find me and chase me into a dream, may I see only the face of one so beloved, for the light of heaven will never shine more brightly than the eyes of my savior, who pierced not only through the darkness but straight through my heart.”
I shivered. Since when was I so into poetry? I took Kyo’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Goodnight, Kyo. Sweet dreams.”
* * *
I awoke to the ringing of my cell phone, which was charging on the nightstand next to the bed. I groaned at the unwelcome interruption to my sleep and cracked my eyes open. After nudging Luna off my stomach, I groped around for the phone and answered it. My eyes were too bleary to see who was calling, but my tone let them know how much I did not appreciate the call.
“What?”
“Selene?”
I was immediately more awake and less gruff. It was Ethan, and even though he had only said one word, I knew something was wrong. I sat up and swung my legs off the bed.
“Ethan? What’s wrong? Is it the Savages? Did something happen?”
“Selene…can…can
you come get me…pl-please…I…I don’t know how this happened, I don’t know…what’s going on…” Ethan’s voice was shaky. My bad feeling skyrocketed.
“Ethan, where are you?” I kept my voice as calm as I could. “Tell me where you are and I will be on my way. What has happened?”
“I’m at Ailani’s apartment,” he said, his voice a quivering whisper. “And she…she’s…she’s dead.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
When Ethan opened the door to Ailani’s apartment and let Kyo and me in he was shaking, pale, and there were splotches of blood on his face, arms, and clothes. His eyes were wide and his breath was coming in short gasps.
“Where?” I said. Ethan slowly turned and pointed down a hallway that branched off from the living room. Kyo and I exchanged a look, then I led the way down the hall, stopping in front of the first room I came to. The door was open, and when I looked in, I sucked in a gasp.
Ailani lay on her bed in a tangle of sheets with multiple stab wounds all over her body. Needless to say, there was blood everywhere. Her wide-open eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling. I swallowed hard, trying to come to grips with the scene before my eyes and what it meant. Kyo was silent, his face solemn, as he looked from the dead girl to Ethan.
“Explain,” was my next word. I didn’t know if I was capable of full sentences right now. I could not believe for a moment that something could have happened that would drive Ethan to kill this girl. First Andrew, then Ilyse, now Ailani? No fucking away.
“I…I…I don’t…”
“Ethan, I’m going to need more than that.” Guess I could still get full sentences out. And I needed Ethan to as well. Kyo put his hands on his shoulders and gave him a level stare.
“Ethan, it will be okay,” he said calmly. “Just tell us what happened.”