The Curse of Redwood (Ivy Grove #2) - Jaclyn Osborn Page 0,120

But for now…” He grabbed my face and smoothed his thumb over my lips. “Let me hold you.”

I kissed him instead.

He smiled against my mouth as his hand slid into my hair. All the broken shards my heart had shattered into the night he left began to mend again, piece by piece. My soul was at peace again.

God, please let this be real.

Eventually, we left the bookstore and walked toward the mystic shop. I never once let go of Zeke’s hand. My head was still spinning from the shock of seeing him, and part of me wondered if I had snapped and was only imagining him beside me. Talking to Callum would verify that I wasn’t crazy. Hopefully.

We entered the shop and walked to the back room and the door beyond it that led to Callum’s upstairs loft. Zeke knew the way, which was strange. Had he been with Callum this whole time? I needed answers.

Callum waited at the door ready to give them too.

“Have a seat,” Callum said, motioning to the table. Once we were seated, he eyed me. “I know you must be bursting with questions.”

Zeke chuckled and squeezed my hand. He had shifted his chair close to mine, as if he didn’t want to be far from me.

“You should start,” Callum said to Zeke. “You’re the one who deceived him.”

“Deceived me?” I looked between the two of them. “Will someone please start talking before my head explodes?”

“I never moved on,” Zeke said, and guilt swam in his eyes. “I could never leave you, Carter. But I knew if I stayed, you would spend the rest of your life sneaking into Redwood to see me. We could never truly be together that way. It would’ve brought you nothing but pain, and you would’ve wasted your life. I refused to let that happen.”

My hands shook with anger. “So you pretended to move on?”

“Yes.” He looked at the table. “All I did was go invisible. It killed me to see you cry. I nearly showed myself so many times—as you walked through the mansion, as you went to our room. When I could no longer stomach your pain, I left you alone.”

“Then, I sensed him,” Callum interjected. “We were talking when you came down the stairs. That’s what you heard. I told him I might be able to help.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I snapped, shoving away from the table. My chair skidded back as I stood and glared at them through angry tears. “I was a mess!”

“Because I didn’t know if it would work,” Callum said, keeping his composure despite me yelling at him. “If it didn’t work, his plan would’ve been ruined. And it would’ve been cruel to give you false hope. Now, would you please sit down so I can explain?”

Slowly, I sat back down. When Zeke reached for my hand, I had the urge to yank away from him. But I couldn’t. Even though I was pissed the fuck off, I was thankful he was with me. I’d just have to kick his ass later for lying to me.

“How did you make him human?” I asked, then dropped my gaze to Callum’s hand. It wasn’t wrapped anymore, but there was a nasty cut on his palm.

“A very ancient ritual,” he answered. “One that can only be performed on a full moon when the veil is thinnest between the two worlds.”

“So on Halloween,” I said.

“Precisely. However, a full moon on Halloween is rare,” Callum continued. “It occurs only once every nineteen years. When I realized Ezekiel stayed behind, I knew I had to do all I could to help him. And I had to do it quickly, before the clock struck midnight.”

“That’s why you stayed at the mansion when I left. It wasn’t to sage the place, but to perform the ritual.”

They both nodded.

“Halloween was over a week ago,” I pointed out, feeling another prickling of anger on my scalp. “Why are you just now telling me?”

“There were… complications,” Callum said, holding his hand. “The ritual worked. Breath filled his lungs and his heart began to beat. Blood rushed through his veins. But with me already being weak from the banishment, something went wrong. He didn’t regain consciousness. I stayed as long as possible, doing all I could to wake him, but then I realized it was something that couldn’t be forced. He had to find the strength to awaken on his own. So, I brought him to my home and waited. Days passed and still nothing.