Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

MELANIE

T he water in the chasm churns and beats against the cliff walls as if demanding to be set free to rage. Above me, the night sky gleams with the light of a billion stars—pockets of energy so powerful they can be seen from billions upon trillions of miles away.

I have my own battery of energy now. It's amazing how much power can be siphoned when I'm unrestrained. The huge beasts in the sky are no worse off for it either, and I feel whole for the first time since…well, since I died.

I can see myself. Not through myself but a solid manifestation. I can pick up rocks and hurl them. I can even feel the chill from the rock I'm sitting on.

I'm sitting on a rock and not passing right through it.

Excitement simmers in my belly because what more can I do with this newfound power?

No, stop it, Mel. You don't want to waste all the energy.

But I feel alive. Connected once more. My stomach dips and hollows in a reminder that feeling a certain way doesn't make it true.

This is an illusion. A temporary state. And it takes the life force of other living things to achieve it.

I'm dead.

I'll always be dead, and at some point, I'll go to wherever it is that dead people go.

But not yet. There are things I need to do first. Like make sure my baby is safe and happy. But not only that. There is something I need to do for me.

Someone that I need to see.

I'm not sure if it will work, but I have to try.

I close my eyes and summon his face. Imagine his smile, recall the sensation of his lips pressed to mine.

Warm ribbons of love unfurl in my chest as he takes form in my mind's eye.

Ivor…I'm coming.

The chasm melts away, and I'm flying, my surroundings a blur. They finally settle in a room lined with books and dominated by a wooden desk behind which sits a large man.

He's reading a book, but he tenses and slowly lifts his head to look at me, and my heart feels as if it will burst.

"Melanie?" he says.

"Hello, Ivor. It's been a long time…"

He stands slowly, as if he's afraid that if he moves too fast, then I'll disappear. "You're here."

"I am." As much as I want to be solid, as much as I want to hold him, touch him, the energy I've gathered has to remain stored for Cameron. For when she might need me. "I remember it all now." Why am I telling him that? Of course I remember. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

He rounds the desk and comes to stand before me, his gaze raking over my face. "I'm so sorry I left. Sorry that this happened. I should have brought you here with me. I should have protected you." He reaches up to touch my cheek, then drops his hand. "If I hadn't fallen in love with you…if I'd left you alone…"

"Then we wouldn't have Cameron. Oh, Ivor, she's wonderful."

"I know." His smile lights up my heart, but then it wavers and fades.

He looks…troubled.

"What is it?" I search his face.

"A weight I thought I'd have to bear alone, but now that you're here, I'm tempted to share it with you. Selfish, I know, but?—"

"Tell me."

He looks torn, but he wants to tell me, so I wait patiently.

He puffs out his cheeks and looks me square in the eyes, decision made. "If I tell you this, you must promise me that you'll keep it between us. Until the time comes to share it. That is of the utmost importance, Mel."

My heart sinks, my gut knotting. "This is to do with Cameron, isn't it?" He nods, shoulders slumping. "Tell me. Tell me everything."