Seven

Islumped against the door and took a deep breath. I loved Bran so much, but years of being told not to share family secrets tore at me. Suddenly Buddy leaned against my leg, surprising me. When Justice was around, he usually stayed close to him, but maybe he knew I needed him. Drawing in a deep breath I forced myself not to reach for him knowing I'd only feel air and walked over to my desk.

My phone vibrating got my attention. My dad was calling. "Dad? Is everything okay?" My parents never called me at work unless it was an emergency. We didn't see each other weekly, but we did keep in touch and had a good relationship.

"Yes, son, sorry to scare you. Your mother wanted me to ask you and Bran to come over for dinner tonight." Dad tried to act like this was just an innocent call, but it was a pretty big coincidence that Bran and I had just talked about speaking to them. I was willing to bet there was more to them wanting us both to spend the evening with them than just a simple dinner.

"What's this about?" I finally asked.

"Bran has a connection that we don't to the spirits on the other side of the veil. There's an old enemy that has it in for us all. We need to strike before it strikes us," Dad said, not really telling me much more than he had already.

"Dad, I want to tell him more about our family. I love him, and I won't continue to lie to him." My voice quivered saying it out loud. I had been telling myself for weeks that not telling Bran everything was keeping him safe, but the longer I stuck with that story the worse I felt.

"I understand, son. Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Yes. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, and he feels the same way. We've been through so much already, and every time he's protected me or taken my side. If he only wanted power he could have kept his mother's book, but he didn't. It's still in Janis's care. He goes there once a week to study it but only under her supervision." I hadn't told my parents everything that had happened when we'd faced off against Bridgette and Sophia. But I had told them that Bran had made sure I was safe when I let my spirit wander.

"I suppose you're right. There's been so many times he could have chosen not to intervene, but he did, and he kept you safe. It's just hard to trust the son of a black witch. Especially one as power hungry as his mother."

"I understand, but Bran is good. There's something else I wanted to tell you." I swallowed and hoped this wasn't a mistake. "I've started having visions."

He was quiet for so long I thought we'd been disconnected, but then my mom spoke. "What happened?"

I told her everything. How I'd had dreams about another life but today it wasn't a dream, and it happened while I was awake. "When we stop by after work, I want us to all fill him in. He's been honest with me, now it's time I do the same." It was a huge relief to say the words, and I knew when I finally told Bran it would be the same only ten-fold.

"Do you remember any names?" Dad asked.

"No, it was only images and faces I don't recognize. Dad, there's more. There's been a spirit who keeps coming to me in my dreams. She died here and I thought she was just clinging to me to make me do something that she wasn't able to before she died."

"But that's not the case." he said, not even questioning the fact I was telling him a ghost had contacted me.

"No. It's become clearer that she herself was a part of the veil. She keeps telling me Bran and I are connected and—well there's more, but I want to tell you in person."

"We'll be ready, son," he whispered.

"Okay, I just . . . I'm not sure what's happening." My mind raced with all the recent events and all the information I didn't understand.

"There's a lot we need to talk about. I'll cook some gnocchi. Don't be late." He hung up, leaving me looking at my phone and wondering if we'd been cut off. But he hadn't rebuked my request to talk to Bran. I hoped after tonight we'd both have an even better understanding of each other.

I opened up my computer and for the next hour entered the last report Bran had given me. I was nearly done with it when the clunk of a gurney hitting the outer door startled me. One of the ambulance drivers pushed the gurney over to where I still sat and looked at me without saying a word.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Yes. Sorry, I'm new to this. I'm supposed to deliver this body to the morgue?" He glanced around like he just realized where he was.

"You're in the right place, just back this way," I said as I shoved open the doors and led him to the refrigerator the body would stay in until it was claimed or identified.

"Thank you, today's my first day driving and they gave me no directions other than to bring him here." He didn't wait for me to answer before he rushed out the door. Bran's eyes met mine as he worked away on another body and even under his mask I could see his smile.

"My parents want us to come over for dinner," I blurted out.

"Really? Weren't we going to go there anyway?" he asked.

"Yes, but that was before I talked to my dad, and he asked us over for dinner."

"Do they know something about what's coming?" he asked and didn't need to explain. Something was coming that we both knew was going to be bad, but we had no real idea of what that was.

"I think so, but my dad was his usual vague self, so I really have no clue. They could be offering you the family china as a welcome to the family gift for all I know." He laughed, knowing exactly what I meant.

"Don't worry, baby. It's hard to start sharing things you've been taught to ignore or hide your whole life."

"So, I should tell them yes? Great, because I already did. Good talk, get back to work so you're ready to go at closing time," I rambled as I backed out the door and away from where he was about to do something I didn't want to see to the body he was examining.

"Love you," he yelled just as the door swung shut. I took a deep breath and smiled. We had a weird relationship, but we were weird, and somehow it all worked for the two of us. He accepted there were things I wasn't able to share with him, and I accepted that his powers went way beyond anything I'd ever seen before. Somehow, we'd make it all work because nothing in this world or the next mattered more to me than Bran.