for Sari.
Did that mean that he didn’t love her enough?
But he’d chosen to stay. Wasn’t that proof that he loved her more than anything?
“Hello, David.” Jonah materialized in front of him. “Are you ready to wake up?”
“I don’t know. I think that I’m getting better, but since I can’t feel any part of my body, I’m not sure about it.”
“You are getting better.” Jonah sat next to him. “Try to focus and find that thread again.”
As David concentrated and turned inward, he saw the shimmering thread he was supposed to grab on to, but he didn’t go for it.
“If I wake up in the real world, will I get to see you again?”
Jonah shook his head. “This is goodbye, my brother.”
“I’m not ready to let go of you.”
“I know.” Jonah regarded him with sad eyes. “It’s difficult for me as well, but there are rules that we all have to follow.”
“Who makes the rules?”
“I can’t tell you that. But I can promise you that we will meet again. Who knows? Maybe I will reincarnate into your new family. Several of the ladies are expecting.”
“You said that you prefer the shorter life cycles of humans.”
“There are advantages and disadvantages to both. It’s not up to me to decide, but it might be nice to be born immortal and take a break from the never-ending cycle. Frankly, I’m tired of it.”
“Do you feel as if you’ve worked out your issues?”
Jonah chuckled. “You knew me in my last incarnation. Would you say that I had?”
“No, not really. I love you, but you were an asshole.”
“Precisely. That should have clued you in from the start that you couldn’t have been Gudbrand. You were always the good son, the one who studied hard and didn’t get into trouble. I was the rebel, the selfish brat who did whatever he wanted no matter who got hurt in the process.”
“You weren’t that bad. You had redeeming qualities as well.”
“Name one.”
“You were smart, charming, interesting, the life of the party. I was the boring twin.”
“Is that what you consider good qualities?”
“Sure. You made people feel good, they looked up to you.”
“I drove you nuts. I thought that you couldn’t stand me.”
“Nonsense. I always loved you, and I was jealous of you.”
Jonah arched a brow. “You were jealous of me? You were the handsome blond that all the girls were drooling over. Regrettably, I took after our father, in looks as well as in character.”
“Yeah, but all the girls thought that you were so sexy. Who lost his virginity first?”
Jonah laughed. “What can I say? Women have no taste, and they have a thing for assholes. You are a psychologist. Can you explain that?”
“Life was never boring with you. You were exciting, confident, strong, that was what drew people to you, not just women. I hope that you reincarnate into the clan as an immortal, so we can spend eternity driving each other nuts.”
Jonah looked surprised. “You really mean it.”
“Of course.” If he could cry, he would have shed a tear or two. Instead, he opened his arms. “Before you go, I need to hold you even if I can’t feel you.”
“You can.” Jonah leaned into him. “It’s an illusion, but so is the fabric of reality.”
For a long moment, they clung to each other like they had never done in life, and it felt so good that David was loath to let go.
“You have to.” Jonah’s form lost its solidity. “Let me help you find your way out. Are you ready?”
He wasn’t, but he nodded anyway.
“Remember, we will meet again.”
“How soon?”
“I can’t say.”
“You can’t because you are not allowed, or because you don’t know?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll pray for your return. I want you back in my life.”
54
Sari
Something was about to happen. Sari was sure of that.
The lightbulb over David’s bed flickered for no apparent reason, and even though it could have been a malfunction, Sari believed that it was an omen.
Except, David was lying still on his hospital bed, the machines were humming steadily, and other than the flickering light, everything was the same as it was an hour ago.
She was being silly, that was all.
Or maybe not.
If she believed that Annani’s blessing had helped David pull through, then why not believe that he was sending her signals in the form of flickering lights?
“David? Can you hear me?” She gently squeezed his limp hand.
There was no response, not even a twitch.
Sari sighed. “I’m losing my freaking mind. My stomach is churning excitedly as if you are going to