by Mac Flynn
"I am rather unpredictable, though in your case the end was rather predictable," he commented.
I tilted my head back to look into his red eyes. "Isn't there anything I can do?"
Death shook his head. "There is nothing you can do."
My arms dropped to my side and I stared down at the white floor.
Death swept his red eyes over me and a grin slipped onto his red lips. "However, there is something that can be done."
My heart would have beat if it could. "What? What is it?"
He held up his hand. "Patience. I will explain." He held the card up. "Do you know what this card does?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it kills me."
"In its basic form, yes, but there are certain rules that must be followed. The curse cannot extend to another person. If anyone is killed with the cursed person, the curse is broke and both souls are saved from me." He chuckled. "At least for the present time."
I frowned. "But nobody else died with me."
He smiled and pointed the tip of his cane at my stomach. "A very innocent soul did die with you."
I looked down at my gut and back at Death. "Come again?"
He arched an eyebrow. That creepy smile never slipped away. "I see. You don't know." He took off his hat and swept his arm against his chest in a low bow. "Then may I be the first to congratulate you on your pregnancy."
I started back. "My what?"
He put his hat back on and chuckled. "Pregnant. I believe you know who the father is."
My mouth dropped open. "David. . ."
Death nodded. "Yes. As things stand, and as the rules of the death curse have been broken, I must send you back."
I whipped my head up to stare at him. "I get to live again?"
He smiled and bowed his head. "Precisely. That is, unless you wish to remain on the floor of the junction."
I hurried to my feet and shook my head. "No, I'll come."
He swept his hand to a foggy spot to my left. "Then let me be your guide to the world of the living. I have some unfinished business there to attend to."
8
Our feet clacked loudly along the hard floor as Death guided me into the foggy abyss. I could barely see a foot in front of me, but Death's form never wavered beside me.
I studied my companion. "You know, that death card shadow looked a lot more like death than you do."
He arched an eyebrow and the corners of his lips curled up. "Yes. I will have to file a copyright infringement."
"So how much do you know about me?" I wondered. "I mean, do you just know when and how I died?"
"Life and death are both my specialties. If I know little about your life than it would be harder to predict your death," he pointed out.
I winced. "So you know everything about me?"
He chuckled. "Your bed-wetting secret is safe with me."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Mr.-um, what do I call you?"
"I prefer the name Mortimer."
I wanted to snort, but at that moment laughing in the face of Death didn't sound like such a great idea. "So, um, Mortimer, how exactly are you going to bring me back to life? Do I get to walk through some light or something?"
"Nothing so dramatic, I assure you," he replied.
Mortimer stopped and used his cane to point at the air in front of us. A round hole appeared in the fog and expanded around us to sweep aside all the fog. I turned in a full circle. We stood in the cargo hold. Time also stood, but very still. Everything and everyone was frozen. Fennix's stooges hung around the sidelines and close behind us and to our right was David still held by the stilted man, but I wasn't sure how long that would last. David was partially transformed into a werewolf, his face contorted by anger and his metamorphosis.
In front of us stood Fennix with a twisted look of triumph on his face. He still clutched the death card in his fist. Over his right shoulder hovered the fake death
I turned to my left and my eyes widened. Beside me lay my crumpled body. I glanced at Mortimer. "You can stop time, too?"
He arched an eyebrow. "Time? That unusual way humans measure life? It has no bearing on me. We are merely at a point in lives, a memory that is the present."
I tapped my toes against my body. My foot went through my solid form. "So how do I get back to being a part of life?"
A sly smile slipped onto Mortimer's red lips. "Like this."
He butted me with his cane. I fell forward into my body. The world went black for a moment and it felt like being slammed into a brick wall. I opened my eyes and gasped as my body kick-started itself into life. I sat up and clutched my chest. My heartbeat greeted me with a hard thump.
"Dakota!" David shouted.
I twisted around and smiled at him. "You won't believe what Death's real name is."
Fennix stumbled back and his eyes widened. "W-what is this? You're supposed to be dead!"
I whipped my head to our foe and glared at him. "Mortimer brought me back because you broke the curse death rules," I told him as I climbed to my feet.
He blinked at me. "Mortimer? Who are you talking about?"
"Me."
All eyes fell on the thin, black-clad figure who stood off to my left. Fennix's troupe who stood near Mortimer shrank away from his unnatural aura.
Mortimer took a step towards us and tipped his top hat at our little group. "Good evening, good gentlemen, and my dear new friend, Dakota."
Fennix's face turned a ghastly white and his mouth flopped open like a fish. "Y-you're-you're-"
Mortimer chuckled. "Death. I am glad you recognize me, Fennix. We have had many mutual dealings, but I believe this is the first time we have had the pleasure of meeting face-to-face."
Fennix swallowed his stuttered. "What are you doing here, and why did you bring her back?" He jabbed a finger at me.
Mortimer followed his finger and smiled at me. "It seems a few rules were broken when you sent her to me." He returned his attention to Fennix and his smile tensed. "If you remember what the voodoo priest taught you then you should know only one life can be taken by the curse." His eyes flickered to the shadow beside Fennix and his lips curled down in a frown. "And I greatly dislike my image being used."
"I did follow the rules! There was only her!" Fennix insisted.
Mortimer closed his eyes and shook his head. "I am afraid you're greatly mistaken." His eyes flickered open and fell on Fennix. "And it is a mistake that you will not make again."
Fennix stumbled back as his eyes bulged out of his head. "N-no. Please. I-I'll do anything!"
Mortimer strode towards him. His cane clacked against the hard floor. "You cannot deal with death, my old friend. A death curse has been activated, and someone must be taken."
Fennix backed up against a large wooden crate. He pressed his palms against the side and shook his head. "No! Take one of them!" He pointed at the troupe. Oliver stood near him and to one side. The man pointed at the young boy. "Take him! His soul would work!"
Oliver glared at him. "Ya damn traitor!"
Mortimer ignored Fennix's offered substitutes and stopped a foot from the trembling man. The mortal shrank from Death as Death's red eyes stared down at him. Death hovered his cane over Fennix's chest. "Time to go."
Mortimer tapped Fennix's chest with the top of his cane. Fennix gave a horrible, high-pitched cry before his eyes rolled back and he sank to the floor. He didn't move. The shadowy death-like creature groaned and shrank into nothing. The troupe glanced at one another before they stepped away from us and disappeared into the shadows of the hold.
David hurried over to me and grasped my upper arms as he pressed me against his side. Mortimer turned to us with a smile and tipped his hat. "A long and happy life to the three of you. And that is a promise."
I blinked, and Mortimer vanished. I turned my head to and fro. "Mortimer?"
David shook his head. "Don't try looking for death. You'll only get into the same trouble as Fennix."
I looked up and frowned at him. "Spe
aking of trouble, there's something I need to talk to you about."
He smiled down at me. "I know. You're pregnant."
I blinked at him. "You knew?"
David set a hand on my stomach and chuckled. "You forget that I have a very sensitive nose. I smelled the change in your body yesterday."
My mouth dropped open. "And when were you going to tell me?"
"After all this trouble was blown over," he replied. He looked past me at Oliver and nodded his head in the direction of the young boy. "And we have Oliver to thank for getting us out of it."
I furrowed my brow and looked to Oliver. "Him? But he betrayed us!"
Oliver cringed. "Only for a little while, and only because it's what he-" he nodded at David, "-told me to do."
David chuckled. "And you performed your part perfectly. I doubt Fennix ever suspected you had changed your allegiances."
I pointed at Oliver. "But you called Fennix a traitor."
Oliver smiled and shrugged. "I learned from the best."
"And you're an excellent student," David spoke up.
I turned to David and frowned. "But how'd you know he was working with Fennix?"
David shrugged. "Anyone who could climb such precarious heights wasn't a normal stowaway orphan. Besides that, I could smell the lingering odor of face paint from him."
Oliver crossed his arms and studied us. "Speaking of thanks, you'd better keep your end of our deal."
David smiled and nodded. "You get a free ride until you're of age, but I won't let you waste that attentive mind of yours. Once we're on land you get to go to school."
Oliver frowned, but shrugged. "Fine, but don't expect much. School ain't my style."
"So are you adopting him?" I guessed.
David looped his arm around me and smiled. "We're adopting him. That is, after the wedding."
I cringed. "Just promise me we won't be going on a cruise for the real honeymoon."
He chuckled. "That is something I can definitely promise you."
9
David and I stood outside the balcony. The twinkling stars of midnight hung over us. Behind us in the living room lay Oliver fast asleep on the couch. The time was a few hours after our
David looped his arm around my waist and smiled at me. "
"Now that our pre-honeymoon is over, what do you say-" I pressed a finger against his lips.
"The next time you suggest we go anywhere for any reason, remind me to say 'no,'" I instructed him.
He chuckled. "And miss out on all this excitement?"
I straightened and glared at him. "You think it's fun meeting death? I could formally introduce you to him."
David smiled and rubbed my stomach. "I doubt he would be so merciful to me, or find such a loophole for myself."
I leaned away from him and studied his face. "Speaking of death, how'd you know I wasn't going to permanently killed by that curse?"
David looked back over his shoulder and nodded at Oliver. "He told me the details of the curse, and from a short phone call with Cotio I guessed the rest, though Fennix's demise was a pleasant surprise."
My eyebrows crashed down. "You guessed with my life?"
He recoiled from my anger. "Maybe?"
I pressed my hands on his chest and tried to push him away. "That's it! The wedding's off! No more sexy time for a naught wolf like you!"
David laughed and wrapped both arms around me. "It's not that easy, my mate. When werewolves choose a mate, they choose them for life. That means you're stuck with me."
A sly grin slid onto my lips. "No, that means you're stuck with me."
I aimed my knee for his family jewels, but he leaned down and captured my lips in a hot, passionate kiss.
I pulled us apart and glared at him. "Why'd you have to be so sexy?"
He chuckled. "It's just a gift."
I sighed and leaned against his chest. "I suppose I can live with that gift."
And I happily did, for a long, long, long time.
* * *
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A note from Mac
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Continue the adventure
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Other Series By Mac Flynn
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Billionaire Seeking Bride
The Family Business
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Ensnare: The Passenger's Pleasure
Incubus Among Us
Lovers of Legend
Office Duties
Sensual Sweets
Unnatural Lover
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Dragon Romance
Maiden to the Dragon
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Ghost Romance
Phantom Touch
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Vampire Romance
Blood Thief
Blood Treasure
Vampire Dead-tective
Vampire Soul
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Werewolf Romance
Alpha Blood
Alpha Mated
Beast Billionaire
By My Light
Desired By the Wolf
Falling For A Wolf
Garden of the Wolf
Highland Moon
In the Loup
Luna Proxy
Marked By the Wolf
Moon Chosen
Moon Lovers
Oracle of Spirits
Scent of Scotland: Lord of Moray
Shadow of the Moon
Sweet & Sour
Wolf Lake