Twenty-Two

I opened my eyes to an off-white ceiling, in an unfamiliar room, feeling better than I ever had, at least physically.

It took me only a moment to remember what had happened, to remember that just a while ago, I"d been curled up in bed with Eben, and now I was here, alone.

Was this Otherworld? Did that mean I was really, truly dead this time?

Nox had warned us that I was in danger, that the universe would try to "correct" things, and yet I"d believed Eben would save me.

I didn"t blame him, not at all. I was here because I was human, not because Eben had failed in saving me. I just hoped he was okay.

I"d already died on him once—even if I didn"t remember it—and I hated that I"d done it again. I didn"t want him to be lonely. I didn"t want him to be heartbroken.

And selfishly, I didn"t want to be alone. I didn"t want to feel my heart twisting around itself and sending shockwaves of pain through my body.

I was sitting up in the bed when the door opened, and if I"d had any doubts about where I was, they"d have been cleared at the sight of the man standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Hobie," Harlan greeted, and I dipped my head.

"Hey, Harlan. I"m truly dead then, huh?" I asked, and he nodded, giving me a sympathetic look before turning to glance at something outside the room.

"Trouble, he"s awake," he said in a deep, rumbling voice, and a second later, Nox stuck his head around the doorway, a grin on his face.

"Hey, Hobie! Welcome to Otherworld," he said cheerfully, and I smiled despite myself.

"Thanks, Nox," I said, then went still as a painfully familiar voice spoke.

"Get out of my way, Nox."

"So mean," Nox teased, before pulling out of view.

I held my breath as I slid my legs off the side and slowly stood up. My eyes latched onto the doorway. Had I just imagined his voice? He couldn"t possibly be here, could he?

A gasp slipped past my lips, and my hands flew to my mouth, tears filling my eyes as Eben stepped into the room. He looked exactly the same as he had the last time I"d seen him, and he stalked across the room, wrapping me up in his arms and tentacles as I slumped into him.

I hadn"t cried when I"d first seen her. I hadn"t cried when she"d held a knife to my neck, or even when she"d cut it open.

I hadn"t cried as I lay dying in Eben"s tentacles, and I hadn"t cried when I thought I"d have to live without him in the afterlife.

But something about being cradled in his tentacles when I"d fully expected not to see him for a while finally broke me, and all the pain and fear I"d been holding onto spilled out in loud, wracking sobs that shook my whole frame.

I pressed my face against Eben"s chest, and he kissed the top of my head as he picked me up and carried me to the bed, placing me in his lap before tightening his hold around me once more.

Time lost meaning as I cried and cried, but when the tears finally stopped, I felt lighter, freer.

Then reality sank in, and I jerked back from Eben to look up at him. "What happened?" I demanded, my voice hoarse. Clearing my throat, I tried again, "Why are you here?"

Eben gave me a look that said he was surprised I even had to ask. "I"m here because you are. I didn"t want you to be alone, and I didn"t want to be without you either."

"So you what? Killed yourself?" I demanded a touch flippantly, and he shrugged.

"I did. Nala and Tarika promised they"d feed that bitch to the sharks, though," he said, as if I cared about that anymore.

"You...you died. For me," I murmured, and Eben rolled his eyes.

"Don"t say it like that. What I did was for completely selfish reasons. I couldn"t bear being left behind once more. I"d lived a long, long fucking life before I met you, Hobie, and I had no interest in going on without you."

I gazed up at him, at his clear gold eyes and the relaxed openness of his face. He truly meant it, didn"t he?

"I"ll miss Nala and Tarika," I murmured, and he smiled sadly.

"Me too. Let"s hope we don"t see them again anytime soon, though," he said, and I smiled, nodding in agreement.

There was a knock at the door, and Eben called out "Come in!"

Nox stepped into the room, then glanced between us.

"Everything okay?"

Wiping my face with my hands—that Eben brushed away to replace with his tentacles—I smiled up at Nox.

"I"m okay now. Sorry about that."

"No worries. I just wanted to say that you have a decision to make. You can stay here in Otherworld and become soul collectors. That will give you the opportunity to visit the human realm, though you can"t interact with anyone you knew. Or you can move to Afterworld, where you can live peacefully for as long as you want to. When you"re ready, you"ll be able to be reborn into the human world," Nox explained, and I blinked. While I"d understood the whole Otherworld business before, it was only starting to truly sink in now.

Nox smiled softly, then shook his head. "I"ll be back in a bit to hear what you"ve decided," he said, then left, closing the door behind him and leaving us to decide how we"d live our "afterlife."

He was here. Hobie was in my arms, and he was smiling again, speaking again. I could finally breathe.

"What do you want to do?" I asked softly, and Hobie sighed.

"I don"t know. I mean, actually, I do. I just don"t know if it"s the best choice," he said, and I shook my head.

"Wherever you want to go is the best choice," I said, and he peered up at me.

"Then I want to go to Afterworld," he declared, and I smiled. Frankly, I had no interest in going back to the human realm either, especially if I couldn"t even see Nala and Tarika.

"Sounds good to me. Any particular reason why?" I asked, and he bit his lower lip.

"Well, I thought you could see Tharion and Celeste again. And maybe even your parents," he said with a shrug, and I blinked, gazing down at him in utter shock.

I hadn"t even...the thought that I might see them hadn"t even crossed my mind, and yet Hobie was thinking about it. I"d truly lucked out in the mate department, hadn"t I?

"Afterworld it is, then," I said, then lowered my head and pressed my lips to Hobie"s. He kissed me back softly, his lips curving around mine as his fingers clutched at my shirt. "Fuck, Hobie," I murmured against his lips, resting my forehead against his. "Seeing you like that...I"ve never felt fear like that. To think I almost lost you..."

What if Tharion had never told me about Otherworld? What if, when Hobie died, I"d had no idea where he was going? Would I have still followed him into the afterlife? Or would I have waited for him to reincarnate again?

"If," Hobie murmured, and I turned my focus on him, meeting his brown eyes, "if you"d known when you saved me, that doing it would mean you"d die soon, would you have done it anyway?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation because it was an easy answer. Of course I would"ve still saved him. The last few months of my life have been the best, and there was no way I"d change any of it.

"Like I said before, I"ve lived a long life, and I don"t mind its end. I wish you"d gotten to live longer, though," I said, and Hobie shook his head.

"I don"t think our life will be all that different now. As long as we"re together, I really don"t need anything else," he said, and I sighed softly.

"I love you so much, Hobie."

"I love you too."

Our lives might have taken an unexpected turn, but they were nowhere close to ending. And like Hobie had said, as long as we were together, that was all we needed to be happy, to feel fulfilled. I was going to spend the rest of my days making Hobie feel loved and being loved by him, and I was excited to start this new chapter in our story.