Chapter 19

Chapter

Nineteen

KEIR

Wednesday morning,I went to shower and loosen my aching muscles, though they were good aches. My husband knew how to show his love for me.

I was about halfway through my shower when the door opened. “I can’t take another pounding, love.”

The laugh was low, but it wasn’t my husband. I spun around to see Thane Nyxon standing there without clothes. He put his hands on both sides of my face and held me under the water to the point I couldn’t catch my breath.

He was shaking me wildly, and I couldn’t get away. “No!”

“Dearly, baby, wake up.” My eyes shot open and I turned to see Dash hovering over me.

“He’s not done with us.” It was all I could say. Thane was going to come at us again, I just knew it.

“Who, baby?”

I turned to see Dash in bed behind me, holding me in his arms as he played the part of the big spoon. “Thane. He’s going to show up again. I feel it.”

Dash’s face darkened. “We’ll be ready for the bastard and his little cat too.”

That made me laugh. “You are unbelievable.”

“I know.”

We both cracked up. It was the truth.

I walked downto the mortuary, where Lake was already working. She’d brought Brian from the walk-in, and Adon was there, having helped her position him in the casket. She was seated on the tall stool I had acquired for her, testing shades of makeup on Brian’s forearm.

“Hey, Lake. How’s it going? Have you found anything that will work? We can cut some fabric to cover his arms and legs if you can’t get a shade you’re comfortable with.”

“Why do the parents want a full couch? Did you ask?” I could hear the frustration in her voice, which I’d felt more than once myself.

“Sometimes, people get an idea in their heads they can’t let go of. My guess is the Eads want their loved ones to focus on the fact that Brian was an athlete. I’m not sure why, Lake. We just try to do our best.”

She took a brush and stroked a shade over Brian’s forearm that was the right match. “That’s perfect. What’s the mix? I’ll prepare it for you.”

I went to the sink where Lake had placed the theatrical makeup she’d used to mix the shades. “Did you write down the formula?”

She began spouting numbers corresponding to colors, and we worked out the amount of each. I stirred the mixture and walked it over to the casket where she was working.

“I’ll start here.” I pointed to Brian’s left shin. When she nodded, I began brushing the mixture onto the skin between his shorts and his socks.

We did our best to cover his exposed extremities, and I decided to alter his soccer shorts with fabric because Lake and I agreed—no good would come from the splotchy coverage on Brian’s legs because of the hair.

“I think this is the best we can do.” I turned to Lake, who was dabbing at the foundation on Brian’s arms and neck with a round sponge. He looked presentable, which was the best we could do under the circumstances.

Lake went to clean up the tools, and I began writing my report regarding Brian Eads’ embalming and funeral preparation as required by law.

“So, have you made a decision?”

Lake stood beside the casket as she tucked the blanket inside and closed the lid. She pushed the cart to the walk-in and returned a moment later, her eyes fixed on me.

Lake crossed her arms and stared until I felt uncomfortable enough to speak. “Are you certain this is what you want to do?”

“How the hell can Dash stand you?”

We both laughed at her assessment, which was spot on and something I asked myself nearly every day. How could Dashiell Clegg stand me?

“I’m not sure, but if you’re going to carry our babies, then you better get used to my hovering ways.”

A big smile overtook Lake’s face as she hugged me. “I won’t let you down.”

I knew she’d do everything in her power to keep our baby safe. That was all I could ask.

“He doesn’t love you,Keir. I love you, and I can protect you. If I take him out, we can have a wonderful life,” Thane told me as he stood in the mortuary.

I jerked awake to see I was in our bed, but it wasn’t light out yet. It had been ten days since Brian Eads’s funeral, and I’d been having those horrible dreams every night.

Thane Nyxon was in my head, and I had no idea how to get that asshole out. The threats were getting worse, and I was afraid the nut would hurt Dash. I couldn’t let that happen.

Dash turned to his side. “What now, baby?” He was warm and smelled like sleep and cotton, and everything I ever wanted out of life.

“Nothing for you to worry about, love. Go back to sleep.” Dash turned to his right side and wrapped his arms around me, making me feel cherished.

I needed to talk to one of the others about how I could protect Dash. I knew he’d do everything in his power to keep me safe, and I was of the same mind when it came to him. There had to be a way to keep Thane far away from my husband.

“Keir? What’s going on?”I was stocking refills of supplies we’d used for the last few funerals we’d hosted and had finally found a moment to reorder.

We’d been busy, all of us at Dearly & Son. Amelie was in the middle of taking hormone shots for the egg retrieval and fertilization which was scheduled for next Wednesday. If everything went well, then Lake would be undergoing the IVF treatment five days later. We were looking forward to it, but I was worried, which wasn’t anything new.

I turned to see Jonas standing in the middle of the mortuary, looking concerned. I stood from where I had been stocking supplies and doing a double count to be sure we had enough in anticipation of upcoming events that hadn’t been scheduled yet.

“Hi, Jonas. How are you? What do you mean what’s going on?”

Dash had gone to Clegg Cycles to work on his bike, which made me happy. Knowing he could ride without worrying he might be in an accident was a relief. I knew he’d loved riding his father’s bike, and the fact that he’d given it to his friend made me a little sad. That was why I bought the Knucklehead chassis for him. I wanted him to have that memory back.

“Thane Nyxon. Is he still around? I got in touch with Scotty, and they’re still looking for Nyx.”

That wasn’t good to hear. “She was here with Thane. She’d possessed a cat.” I stared at him, waiting for an answer.

“How did we not know that?” We?

I couldn’t hold the laugh that came out of me. “I have no fucking idea, but you people need to get your shit together. How the fuck are we supposed to deal with a war if you don’t do your due diligence? We’re trying to live our goddamn lives, and if those of you in the Celestial Realm don’t know what the fuck is going on with the enemy, then get the hell out of our way and let us handle things as well as we can!”

My yelling wasn’t cool, but I was fucking tired. I was trying to figure out how to deal with a crazy fucking demon, and the people who claimed to be heavenly didn’t know what the other team was doing. How was that possible?

Jonas stared at me for a moment before he nodded. “You feel better now?”

I sighed. “I don’t feel good about any of this. I can’t believe you can’t find Nyx or Thane. How many places can they go where you can’t find them?”

“You’ve got a good point. I wonder who’s helping them? Someone is masking them—someone powerful.”

“Angel or demon?”

Jonas looked confused. “I don’t know.”

Well, wasn’t that fucking great?