Chapter 27
Moe
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Jillian lay beside him, her head tucked under his chin, her fingers curled lightly against his chest. The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the lamp on her nightstand.
They'd been talking about her mom, about Finn's warning, about the shadow growing stronger until they ended up talking in circles.
She lifted her face to his, her eyes soft and searching. "Come here," she whispered.
He met her lips gently at first, then deeper, warmer. It was the kind of kiss that made his chest ache. She held his face in both hands, pulling him closer, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her like she was the only thing keeping them in this world.
She pulled back enough to breathe, her forehead resting against his. "I love being close to you."
He swallowed hard. "Same."
She smiled and kissed him again, slow and tender. She slid her fingers into his hair. Her breath warmed his cheek.
For a moment, there was no Everstill. No darkness. No fear. Just the quiet miracle of being held by someone who chose him.
Then the air changed.
Cold. Sharp. Wrong.
Jillian froze mid-kiss, her breath catching. A ripple of icy pressure slid down his spine.
"Moe..." she whispered.
He pulled back, eyes snapping toward the corner of the room. The darkness was already there. A tall shape, twisting and reaching toward him.
It stretched along the wall like a living stain, peeling itself upward, bending toward the bed. The air thickened, pressing against his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Jillian scrambled back, clutching the blanket to her chest. Moe grabbed her arm, pulling her behind him as he swung his legs off the bed.
"Get dressed," he said, voice low and urgent.
She nodded, hands shaking as she reached for her clothes. Moe kept himself between her and the shadow, never looking away from the thing creeping along the wall.
The darkness ignored him and moved toward Jillian.
Even with him blocking it, the shadow stretched sideways, sliding along the ceiling, angling itself to reach her. Jillian stumbled as she tried to pull on her jeans.
"Stay behind me," Moe growled.
The shadow pulsed, a deep, throbbing vibration that made the lamp flicker violently.
"Moe," Jillian cried, "it's trying to—"
The shadow lunged.
A long, dark tendril reached down from the ceiling, curling around Jillian's wrist like smoke.
She screamed.
Moe grabbed her instantly, yanking her back, his fingers locking around her arm. The force nearly pulled him off his feet. The shadow tightened, dragging Jillian toward the wall.
"No." Moe roared, tugging with everything he had.
The darkness pulled harder.
Jillian's body jerked forward, her feet sliding across the floor. Moe wrapped both arms around her waist, bracing his legs, fighting the impossible strength dragging her away.
"Moe!" she cried, her voice breaking.
"I won't let you go." He snarled, teeth clenched, muscles burning.
The shadow pulled harder. Jillian's scream tore through him. Her fingers slipped from his hand, dragging her toward something he couldn't see, couldn't fight, couldn't understand.
His heart pounded as if ripped from his chest.
"Jillian!" he shouted. "Stay with me!"
She reached for him with her free hand, fingers clinging to him desperately. He grabbed her hand, locking their fingers together.
The shadow pulsed. Violent and angry, it snapped back, releasing her so suddenly they both fell to the floor. Jillian collapsed against him, sobbing, shaking uncontrollably. Moe wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest, shielding her with his body.
The darkness recoiled into the corner, folding itself into a thin, trembling line. A shadow as it watched, waited, and wanted.
Moe held Jillian's face in both hands, forcing her eyes on him. "Don't look at it. Look at me."
She clung to him. "It was going to take me."
He pressed his forehead to hers, breathing hard. "Not while I'm alive, sweetheart."
"I can't believe this is happening." She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.
He held her like she was the last light in a world full of shadows. Everstill wasn't only trying to take her back. He wasn't going to let that happen. He'd already allowed it to steal his emotions, take his freedom, and wipe away his thinking.
Jillian shook in his arms, her breath uneven, her fingers clutching the back of his shirt. Moe cradled the back of her head with one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her heart hammered frantically against his chest.
"It's retreating," he whispered, though he wasn't sure he believed it.
She nodded against him, her face buried in his shoulder. "I'm scared."
He kissed the top of her head, lingering protectively. She lifted her face to his. Her eyes were wet, her cheeks flushed, her lips trembling. A tremor went through him. He'd come close to losing her.
"Moe," she whispered, "I can't lose you."
He leaned in and kissed her, knowing he couldn't tell her in that moment that losing her frightened him. She kissed him back with the same urgency, her hands sliding to his face, pulling him closer. Her breath mixed with his. Her body pressed against him.
The adrenaline melted into something fierce and tender. She belonged to him. He would die before he allowed anyone to take her away from him.
They moved together, climbing back onto the bed, still kissing, still holding each other. He refused to let her go. Jillian curled against him, her legs tangled with his, her hands gripping his shoulders. Moe cupped her face, brushing his thumb along her cheek.
"I'm here," he murmured against her lips.
She kissed him again, trembling. "Don't leave me."
"I won't."
He pulled her closer, their foreheads touching, their breaths uneven, their hearts pounding in sync.
A cold burst slammed through the room violently. Jillian gasped, clutching Moe's shirt. He sat up instantly, pulling her with him.
"No," he whispered. "Not again."
The lights flickered. The walls groaned. The temperature dropped so fast the air turned white with their breath.
Jillian scrambled behind him. Moe never took his gaze off the corner of the room. The shadow was already there, ready and more powerful.
It poured across the ceiling like ink spilled in water, thick and heavy, dripping down the walls in long, reaching tendrils. Jillian screamed and stumbled backward off the bed. Moe grabbed her, pulling her behind him.
"Stay with me," he said, voice shaking. "Stay right behind me."
She clung to him, her fingers digging into his arm.
The shadow lunged.
A massive wave of darkness slammed into the bed, knocking it sideways. Jillian cried out as Moe dragged her toward the door, but the shadow moved faster, cutting them off, sealing the exit with a wall of black.
"Moe!" Jillian pulled on his arm. "It's blocking us!"
He braced himself. There was no escape. He had no weapons. All he could do was fight with his bare hands.
The darkness surged forward, wrapping around Jillian's waist like a living storm. She screamed as it yanked her backward, her feet leaving the floor.
Moe lunged, grabbing her wrist. "Leave her alone. She's mine!"
The shadow pulled harder.
Her body jerked violently, her scream ripping through him. Moe planted his feet, pulling with everything he had, his muscles burning, his heart pounding.
"Hold on!" He refused to let go. "Hold on to me!"
"I'm trying!" she sobbed, her fingers slipping in his grip. "Moe—!"
"Get the fuck away from her!"
But the darkness didn't care about his feelings. It didn't care that it was ripping out his heart. It didn't care that he was nothing without Jillian.
The shadow wrapped around her like a cocoon, dragging her toward the wall—toward a swirling vortex of black that hadn't been there a moment ago. He recognized the veil.
Jillian's fingers slid in his hands as she slipped from his grasp.
"No," he roared, pulling her back with a strength born of pure terror. "You're not taking her, you motherfucker!"
The shadow pulsed, and then it struck.
A blast of cold slammed into Moe's chest, knocking the air out of him. Jillian screamed as the darkness ripped her from his arms. He lunged again, grabbing her shirt, her hand, anything he could reach.
Their trembling fingers touched desperately.
"Moe," she cried, reaching for him.
"Jillian."
The darkness swallowed her whole.
Without a thought for himself, he dove after her.
The veil consumed him instantly, dragging him into the vortex and into a world of cold, silence, and nothingness.
Their screams echoed once.
Then vanished.