Chapter 26
There were general house rules I learned with each passing day.
Like anyone who wanted to listen to music or play a noisy game in the game room had to make sure no one was using the library.
Tak didn’t want arcade games or pinball machines in there because of the noise factor, but he’d agreed to a large-screen TV for playing games.
Lucian had installed colorful lights behind it, and players sat on the oversized leather love seat. Headphones were encouraged at night.
Hope didn’t require a silent house when Jasper was sleeping, not unless it was unreasonably late.
In a large home with multiple packmates, children had to get used to noise so they could learn to sleep through it.
In fact, when Jasper was first born, Tak played his drum outside every night for two weeks while singing.
“No! You can’t do that.” I furiously tapped my thumbs on the game controller.
“Game over,” Lucian announced. “You can’t waste your lives like that.”
I tossed the controller between us. “Isn’t there a game where you wander and explore and don’t have to kill people?”
“That’s called Christmas shopping.” He checked an incoming message. “Huh.”
“Another job?”
He raked his black hair away from his forehead. “No, Salem ran into an issue.”
I clutched my locket. “Is he okay?”
Lucian pinched his chin while reading the message. “He’s fine, female. I need to make a private call.” While crossing the room and into the library, he lowered his voice. “Hey, it’s me. You got a minute?” The wooden doors slid closed.
I found Salem’s absence profoundly lonely.
Falling onto my side, I curled up on the sofa and opened my locket with a press of the side button.
My father flashed a bright smile, green trees in the background.
“I wish you could’ve met Salem. He’s the guy you always said was good for me—the quiet kind. ”
My father used to say I had a bright spirit and anyone who matched my energy would only try to outshine me.
Since I never had any intention of falling in love, I laughed off his remarks.
Only now did I wish those discussions had gone deeper.
Why had he thought a man like Salem would be better for me than someone with a larger-than-life personality?
Maybe he believed someone like Salem could help keep me grounded.
Virgil shuffled into view. With his back to me, he scratched his ass and stared at the frozen screen on the TV. The elastic legs on his black sweatpants rode up on his calves.
When he faced me, he hopped back a step and clutched his chest. Patting his heart, he blew out a breath. “I didn’t see you lying there. I thought maybe Lucian left the TV on.”
“Sorry.”
He stroked his nipple. “Might be time for another piercing. I miss my rings.”
Virgil sat where my legs were curled up and then hovered over me, resting his chin on my shoulder. “What are you looking at?”
“My parents.”
“I almost died for them.”
I snapped the locket shut. “How’s your leg?”
He moved away. “I’m scarred for life. If it hasn’t gone away after twenty days of shifting, it’s permanent. I’m a freak.”
I sat up. “Can I see?”
Virgil lifted his behind before pulling his sweats partway down.
Leaning over, I examined his thigh. “All I see is hair.”
“It’s on the inside.”
I leaned farther over and noticed the blue discoloration. “That’s not a big deal.”
Someone sputtered with laughter from behind the couch.
I realized how this looked and immediately sat up.
Melody leaned between us with a jaunty grin. “I could’ve told you that.”
Virgil pulled his pants back up. “What if I have aspirations in a hundred years to pole dance? Maybe they won’t hire me.”
“You’re the biggest drama queen. It looks like a bruise.
” Melody climbed over the couch and plopped down between us.
“If anything’s gonna hold you back from being a world-class pole dancer, it’s the fact you’re a wolf with a cat tattooed on your leg.
Besides, the robots will be doing all the pole dancing after they take over the world. ”
“Mmm.” A grin touched his lips. “I hope we get to build our own robots.”
Aware of Virgil’s sexuality, something piqued my curiosity. “Virgil, would you rather mate with a man or a woman?”
“Virgil Nightingale does not discriminate.”
Melody elbowed him. “She means mating in the marital sense, not the carnal.”
He put his arm around her. “Someday I’ll understand everyone’s obsession with marriage, but today is not that day.”
“It’s never crossed your mind?” I don’t know why I was so curious, but Virgil was a sweet guy, and I wanted to understand him.
He gathered up his dark-blond hair and pulled it in front of his face as if to hide. “I don’t think about getting serious. I also don’t want kids.”
“Why not?”
“Kids are overrated.”
I wanted to reach across Melody and touch him to feel his emotions, but I kept my hands to myself since it would be intrusive. “Why don’t you want them? We’re not judging. I don’t want them either, but that’s because of my disease.”
“I had a deadbeat dad who didn’t care about my existence.” He released his hair. “Anyhow, life’s a party and marriage isn’t.”
“Maybe it’s not supposed to be.”
“People disappoint each other.” He flipped his hair back. “Then the passion dies.”
Melody tucked her knees against her chest. “That depends on you. Lakota and I never get bored. We’re planning a trip this spring to Six Flags. I’m gonna force him to go on the biggest roller coaster. He hates those things,” she said with a devious laugh.
Virgil snorted. “Is that your sales pitch? You make marriage sound like torture.”
“A little torture never hurt anyone. It’s all part of the plan.
He’ll complain about it until I promise to make it up to him.
It’s fun when you’re kinda mad at each other.
We work it all out in the bedroom. Robyn helped me stretch my body so I can do the splits.
I plan to try a few new tricks that’ll blow his mind. ”
Virgil and I exchanged glances before bursting out laughing.
“I knew you were plotting something,” Lakota boomed from the archway.
Melody twisted around and jumped to her feet on the sofa. “You were eavesdropping!”
I glanced over my shoulder.
Lakota swaggered toward us with a crafty smile. “You know I don’t like coasters. There’s no way I would’ve gotten on one.”
“Sure you would’ve.”
“Doubtful.”
She looked down at him. “I was going to find a hot guy and ask him to sit next to me instead. Then you would’ve changed your mind.”
“You think I get jealous easily, wife?” He clutched her hips.
Melody tapped his nose. “We’ll find out.”
He threw her over his shoulder and slapped her behind before heading to the living room.
“Wait a second!” she complained. “I’m still talking to Quinn.”
“Too bad. I wanna hear all about these splits you recently learned.”
Virgil collapsed with his head in my lap.
“What’s wrong?” I put my hand on his shoulder. “You haven’t been yourself today.”
“They’re nauseating.”
“Who? Lakota and Mel? They’re sweet together.”
“Saccharine relationships never last. Nothing lasts.”
His emotions were a strange brew of melancholy and anxiety, not the usual I felt from Virgil.
“Relationships take work. If you’re not willing to make an effort, it’ll fail like anything else.” I brushed a tendril of hair away from his eyes. “Is that why you don’t want to fall in love?”
“Love and relationships aren’t synonymous. You can be in a relationship and not love someone. You can also love someone and not be in a relationship.”
“I hope someday you experience the love Salem and I feel. It was meant to be.”
“Do you really believe that?” He sat up and scratched his shoulder.
“Neither of us wanted a relationship, but here we are. I had a crush on him since the day we met. Maybe my wolf knew before I did.”
“Yeah, but…” His eyes fixed on my cane leaning against the wall by the TV.
“Not to kill the hope vibe, but if this experiment doesn’t pan out and you pass away, don’t stay behind, no matter how tempting it might be.
The dopes who refuse to go into the afterlife get what they deserve since most of them stay because they want revenge or some other dumbass reason, but I’ve seen a lot of ghosties who wound up sandwiched between worlds because of love.
It’s sad. They thought they could jump back into their body or there would be some miracle.
If you miss the boat, it rarely ever comes back.
Not to mention you’ll forget him anyhow. ”
“That’s impossible.”
He reclined his head and stared at the ceiling. “Specters lose their memory over time. It’s scattered like fragments in a blender. Past lives, current lives, confusion between the living and dead—you’ll torture yourself, and I’ll have to watch it all.”
“But if you get to be around the one you love—”
“They don’t even know you’re there, and I sure won’t tell him that his dead wife is following him to the bathroom with no memory of who she used to be.
” Virgil groaned as he stood and stretched his back.
“Maybe death is how they test us to see who’s selfish and who isn’t.
If you fail, you get limbo. Speaking of limbo…
” He swayed and offered me his hand. “Maybe we should have a limbo contest in here. I’ve got the music, and there’s plenty of room.
Come on, sugarplum, let’s liven things up. ”
While he hummed the limbo song, I took his hand. Virgil gave me a tug, and the moment I was vertical, I danced in place to his silly song.
“How low can you go?” he said in a deep voice before bending backward.
My heart sped up, and a peculiar sensation overtook me. Afraid I might faint, I staggered toward my cane. And then my legs gave out.
“Whoa!” Virgil caught me before I hit the floor. “What happened?”
I clutched him and searched his eyes, fear and grief twisting around my heart like barbed wire. “I… I can’t feel my legs.”