Page 45 of How to Woo the Undead

Hyacinth brought his palm to her cheek and leaned into it. His eyes roamed her face. With a giggle, she nodded, “Feels like you.” She twisted to put her nose to the center of his palm and inhaled sharply. “Smells like you.”

Austin snorted. “I amsoglad I washed my hands before coming back down.”

The sharpness with which her head snapped back and a cackle from the depths of her belly erupted from her, it shocked her system. She wheezed for air as she stumbled away from him. It was so natural that she felt lightheaded.

Austin pumped his arm to the side and whispered a small ‘Yes’ to himself. She furrowed her brows, eyeing him suspiciously. He answered with a big, goofy grin, “I made you laugh again. A real laugh. I’m funny! You find me funny.”

Hyacinth’s shoulders trembled as she slapped a palm to her mouth. Austin rushed forward, swatting her hands from her. “No! Don’t cover it up! I just got you to laugh. You can’t deny me that.”

He peeled her palms from her face, and she let him bring them down to her side. When she gazed up at him, the fluttering returned to the center of her chest. The laughter spilled out of her mouth but steadily faded out of existence as his hands found her face again. That strange tingling returned, not just between her thighs, but over every inch of her. He cupped the back of her head, tilting her face and bringing her lips to him.

Her left leg popped up, then her right, her wings fluttering behind her. Hyacinth floated up till her hands draped around his shoulders easily. Wonderful washes of delight rolled over her. It removed everything but the small, sweet bubble they existed in.

That bubble was popped by a horrible screech. Hyacinth tore away in time to watch a ghoul jump out of the pantry. It wasbleeding from its missing hind leg, and it scrambled helplessly across the kitchen floor till it hit the back door. The creature turned into shadow and disappeared into the night. Austin lowered Hyacinth till her feet touched the floor before creeping forward. She tiptoed next to him, the pair slinking up to the pantry.

The pair of undead stopped at the open doorway, looking inside at a pair of glowing red eyes. Hyacinth felt her stomach twist painfully. “Snuffles?”

The red eyes softened and the bunny bounced out into the dim candlelight. She crouched to pick him up from the floor. He seemed untouched, but his nose was wiggling fast.

Austin took the bunny from her, inspecting the furball closer to the candles to get a better look, but Hyacinth was stuck by the pantry. Staring inside where there was no light. Nothing but inky black existed there. Her eyes scanned through it regardless.

And maybe she shouldn’t have, as some other set of eyes opened in the pantry. They reflected back at her, like that of a mountain lion on a hiking trail at night. Or a predator setting its sights on prey. Hyacinth stumbled backward a step as the eyes opened wider. They leveled on her. Austin said something behind her but she didn’t hear a word of it. The only thing that existed in her ears was the horridclick, click, click, of broken bones trying to work together to walk toward her. A figure formed in the shadows as Hyacinth backed further into the candlelight.

No, no! NO! I’m still cross with you!

Sabine’s mouth curled up on her face as she lingered outside of the candle’s protective aura. Her mouth, full of razor-sharp teeth, curled up into a cruel smile. Blood dripped out of herears and from the massive hole in the center of her chest.Click, click,her head snapped in two subsequent hard jerks to the right. Sabine stepped closer toward her, fingers stretching out. Sabine was covered in muddy, moldy vines hanging off her limbs. Clumps of bloody soil stuck to her flesh. Bone protruded from her skin, some breaking through the surface, showing off how shattered she was. Sabine’s mouth opened more, clumps of something covered in ichor flopped to the floor.

Hyacinth was breathless, trapped in that moment with the ghost of the woman who built her current body. Then a massive, pale arm snuck around her and light was shoved violently in front of her. Sabine shrieked, throwing her arms up in front of her. The ghost dissipated like plumes of smoke, fading away to nothingness. It wasn’t till she was fully gone that Hyacinth was able to even move.

Blink, blink, breathe in.Hyacinth sucked in a breath. She took a moment to regain control of her chin. She raised it, glancing up at Austin. He glared right where Sabine stood.

“Did you see her?” Hyacinth gasped.

“I think so,” Austin sighed, finally glancing down at her. “Is that what you meant when you said you were haunted.”

He believes me. He sees her. Even if just slightly.Instant relief flooded her veins and baffling tears welled in her eyes. Hyacinth threw her arms around him and sank into his comforting scent.He believes me. He sees her.It was the most grounding thing to know.

“I think we should talk to Lord Rosemont in the morning.”

Hyacinth didn’t want to beg, didn’t want to try and convince another person she was haunted, so she nodded against his sternum. Yet something hissed in delight deep within her at the prospect of not talking about it till morning. She wanted toconvince herself it was delight in knowing they’d do it together. It didn’t work. And she followed Austin back up to the room, bunny in hand, dreading closing her eyes.

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Austin

Austindidn’tlikewaitingto talk to Sebastian, but Hyacinth looked exhausted. Her eyes were glassy, tears spilled down her cheeks in irregular intervals, and she clutched him with trembling arms. She’d been through a lot and needed to rest. And knowing his maker, Sebastian would immediately whisk her to the lab to find the source of her haunting. One needed to be as well-rested for that, as there was no telling what they’d have to do. Some hauntings needed exorcising. Some needed appeasing. Some needed ripping out like a rotting seed.

No. Sleep is what she needed. Austin, however, could afford to lose some.Selfish.He’d selfishly gotten so much sleep while she was trapped in an ongoing nightmare.

He sat up against the headboard and let her prop her pillow in his lap. She slept with the werewolf pelt teddy bear clutched to her chest, curled around him. He kept a hand to her back, rubbing soothing circles into her skin until he felt her drift asleep.

Snuffles burrowed a nest into the blankets between his ankles and Austin watched the tiny creature flop over.

I can’t believe all that’s happened.It felt like whiplash. One moment, he thought getting forehead kisses from her was themost precious feeling to him. Then she kissed him, and he kissed her back. Heat licked up his collarbone as he replayed earlier. The taste of her on his tongue, the sound of her breathing his name, he would be baffled for the rest of his life.

Because this wasn’t a romance novel, and Austin wasn’t some charming prince from across the sea. He was an undead assistant to a lich and somehow that made him worthy of her? He didn’t get it. One of life’s many mysteries.

He did finally understand why Lord Rosemont loved discoveries so much. It made him smile as he curled a tendril of her hair around his fingers. Austin couldn’t wait to hear what other things she’d ask him to do.