Chapter 9
Sven lay there in the aftermath of their love making.
Not that it was a bad aftermath, but he was reveling in the feeling of being with her finally, and the fact that his heart was beating.
Was this how it’d felt when his brother’s curse was broken?
She mentioned that she felt like a weight had been lifted. He felt that too.
“Your heart is beating,” Flo said sleepily, her arm still over his chest.
“I can feel it. It’s been a long time.” It was something he thought he’d never feel again. His heart beating, when he’d been human, had been mundane and something he took for granted. Now, it was comforting.
“Your curse is broken and so is mine.” She smiled at him.
Sven startled as the reality hit him. “I suppose so. Do you remember everything now?”
“I remember more. Not everything, but I remember a whole lot more. I think it’ll come back slowly.”
“You remember me?”
Her smile grew, her eyes twinkling. “I do. I don’t remember the particulars of my curse or anything about my father being a wraith yet, but that moment we joined, I remembered you and our love. Sorry I don’t remember more.”
Sven shrugged. “Does it matter now?”
“No.” She leaned over him and kissed him on the lips. Then she glanced over her shoulder. “The dress I was wearing, the one you gave me…sorry about that.”
“I think it’s time we update your wardrobe.” Sven got out of bed and strode over his closet, pulling out a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. “I’ll make sure that I get you some proper clothes, but this will do for now. No one but me needs to see you naked. You’re mine.”
Flo got up and then frowned, standing there naked. “Strange.”
“What?”
“I can’t float.”
Sven was confused. “But you were hovering a moment ago.”
“It’s gone.” She slipped on the clothes. “I thought as a revenant, I’d still be like a spirit.”
“Maybe not.”
She frowned. “We need to go to the barrier.”
“I can’t go,” Sven stated. “I’m solid now.”
“Am…I?” Flo walked toward the wall, touching it, and it was solid. “I guess that’s it? I can’t go through walls either.”
Sven grinned and came over to embrace her. “You didn’t age and die.”
“No. I didn’t. I’m still glowing a bit. I don’t feel quite human though, and you don’t look completely human either. Your eyes are normal blue, but your skin is super white still. As is your hair.”
“Which is strange, because Magnus’ hair changed first and then his eyes turned back to his normal color. I’ve apparently done the opposite.”
“So your eyes were blue before your curse?”
Sven nodded. “They were. What do you think?”
“I like them. It matches you, soft and tender.” Flo grinned and ran her fingers over his tattoo. “I’ve always wondered what this meant.”
“It means love and faithful.”
“Oh. I like it.”
“Shall we go and let Magnus know what’s happening?” Sven was excited to let his brother know that his curse had been broken too.
“Yes. Though, I’m kind of nervous,” Flo admitted.
“About what?”
“All the changes. Frankly, I want to remember it all now. I’ve been patient long enough.”
They both laughed at that.
Sven kissed her hand. “It’ll be all right. Let’s go.”
They walked hand in hand out of his bedroom. It was quiet. She squeezed his hand and looked up at him in trepidation, but he just kissed her fingers, reassuring her silently that everything would be okay.
They got down to the reception area and found Magnus frozen, shock on his face, staring at a gaggle of ghosts hovering there.
“Magnus?” Sven asked carefully.
Magnus spun around. “Sven? You…Flo?”
Flo paused at the bottom of the stairs. “You can see me?”
Magnus nodded and then pointed at the ghosts. “And them.”
Erickson laughed, pleased. “He can see us, Sven!”
Lottie nodded. “The rift is open. We can move back and forth, and apparently, we can be seen. In this house only.”
Mercedes came out of the elevator and paused, looking at everyone standing there frozen and staring. “Whoa, this is like a standoff. What is going on?”
“I can see the ghosts and Flo,” Magnus replied, rubbing his eyes.
Sven and Flo came down the stairs rest of the stairs.
Mercedes gasped. “Sven, your curse…it’s broken?”
“Yes, and so is Flo’s,” Sven explained. “Her memories are returning.”
“She’s still a revenant though,” Lottie said, then something sparked in her expression. “Ah, that’s why the doorway opened. The revenant has come into her own. She remembers and her curse is lifted.”
“So, I can see ghosts now because of what?” Magnus asked, confused. “I’m a ghoul.”
“The rift is open apparently,” Flo stated. “The one we explained about.”
Magnus scrubbed a hand over his face. “What are we going to tell guests about this?”
“You can advertise our existence,” Lottie responded sarcastically. “I think, for the most part, we’ll be quite content with it. We’re stronger here now that the bridge to the etheric plane is open.”
“I don’t know how I feel about this,” Magnus said wearily.
“What choice do we have?” Sven countered, but then he faced the ghosts. All of them who were clustered in the reception area. “There have to be rules.”
“Rules? I don’t follow rules,” Sal snickered.
“You will,” Flo said sharply.
Lottie smiled proudly. “That’s right. Flo is a direct descendent of mine. This house is hers by birthright and she is the revenant.”
Sal looked mollified. “Fine. What rules then?”
“No excessive nudity,” Flo stated. “Sorry, Mario, you need to put on your clothes when there are guests.”
Mario sighed. “Fine. Only here though, right? I can be nude on the other side, right?”
“Sure,” Flo said.
“Good, because I hates wearing them, doll face,” Mario said.
“What else?” Lottie asked, impatiently.
“No going into guest bedrooms if they’re occupied. Give them privacy,” Sven said firmly. “And no floating into our apartments.”
“Exactly,” Magnus agreed, crossing his arms.
“Everywhere else is fine,” Flo said. “This is a real haunted house and I’m sure we’ll have curious visitors.”
Magnus looked at Sven and he shrugged.
“It is a dead-and-breakfast. It’s just one with a connection to the afterlife,” Mercedes said.
Magnus sighed. “I suppose so. So, we’re a dead-and-breakfast with a couple of ghouls, a witch, a revenant, and ghosts?”
Sven beamed down at Flo and then nodded. “Yes.”
“We need to have a Halloween party!” Mercedes announced excitedly. “It’s in a couple of weeks and I think the ghosts could use a bit of fun right?”
“Yes!” Erickson shouted. “I would enjoy fun and speaking to others besides the ones in this house.”
“What about other spirits who pass through the rift?” Lottie asked.
“I’ll make sure they understand the rules,” Flo stated.
“How?” Sven asked. “You can’t pass through walls.”
“I feel a pull toward the rift. I bet I can still get through there.” Flo walked to the paneled wall. The one Erickson had led them through. Cautiously, she stuck her arm through it, and yes, she could still dissipate through that wall. “See? Apparently, I still can access the barrier.”
“You can hang an iron horseshoe in the place the rift exists. That way you’ll know when new ghosts are checking in,” Lottie suggested. “And I would be happy to facilitate their passage in any way I can. I was once lady of this house too.”
Flo smiled at her. “That would be wonderful.”
“So, that’s settled?” Magnus asked. “We’re really a dead-and-breakfast now, it would seem.”
“It seems so,” Sven agreed.
“I’m so planning that Halloween ball!” Mercedes squealed with excitement. As she was jumping up and down, Vlad the Inhaler came zooming by on one of his rounds, causing the ghosts to screech and dissipate in different directions.
“Why are they so scared of Vlad?” Flo asked.
“They think he’s going to suck them up.” Mercedes chuckled. “I’ve explained to them he can’t, but they heard about your glove.”
“Oh.” Flo giggled.
“It looks like you need to go shopping later,” Mercedes said. “We’ll go this afternoon. Mona has some great items, and there’s a cute thrift store in town called Nifty Thrifty.”
“I’d like that.” Flo wrapped her arm around Sven.
Magnus clapped his brother on the back. “I’m very happy for you, Sven. It’s about time.”
“Indeed.” Sven chuckled. “A thousand years was a bit much.”
“Come on, Magnus. Let’s go make some breakfast for everyone. We have a lot to discuss and I think these two need a moment.”
Magnus nodded, winked, and then walked off to the kitchen with Mercedes.
When they were alone, Sven kissed Flo gently on the lips. “Our curses are broken. I guess even though you couldn’t remember being in love with me, you were. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you back then.”
“No apologies. You didn’t know. The important thing now is I do love you. I don’t know what this means for our future. I don’t know if revenants are immortal or…”
“You have time to figure it out and now you can access the library in town. You can leave this property.”
Flo worried her bottom lip. “I don’t think I can.”
Sven took her hand and tugged her toward the front door. When they stepped outside, the sun was coming up and it was a bit chilly. Flo shivered.
“Oh, I haven’t felt cold in a long time. I like it.” She giggled nervously.
“Step off the property. Try it,” Sven encouraged.
Flo nodded. “Right. No more fear.”
“No more fear.”
Flo closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped off the property, barefoot out onto the street. She stood there for a few moments and then started to cry.
Sven joined her, taking her in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“I can feel the leaves under my toes!” She laughed. “I guess I am sort of free from the curse.”
“I think so. And so am I. We can travel, like we wanted to.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “Alaska?”
He nodded, running his fingers over her face. “If you’d like.”
She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I would like that. Very much.”
“I love you, Flo. I’ve always loved you. I told you before, my heart belongs to you.”
She pressed her hand against his chest. “And I can feel it beating.”
“It’s yours. Always, for whatever time we have left.” Sven kissed her, like he’d dreamed of every night when he thought he’d lost her, and he was going to continue to kiss her every night for as long as he could.