Chapter 26: Make-out Hair

"What troubles ye, lass?" Kiarr faces the bed, trails of sunlight flicker through his ghostly form.

I rub my eyes, not even realizing that I had fallen asleep last night but knowing I must have. "Nothing. Everything."

"Is it about sending us back to the grave?" Kiarr's hand rests on the hilt of his sword. "I won't lie to ye, Brene, I like this new world of yours. I want to stay with ye here and now."

"It's not that easy." I sit up, rubbing my hands on my thighs. "I can't stay here. I have to go back to my old life. To how things were before."

"Why? These are your kind here."

I squeeze my eyes shut, my heart aching. "Please don't make this any harder than it is."

When I feel a pressure on the bed, I open my eyes to find Kiarr sitting beside me, tenderness I didn't deserve in his eyes. "Not everything old is good and not everything new and different is to be feared."

"I'm not afraid." I stick my chin out.