AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, but tell her it’s Austin and Luc.”
She narrowed her eyes and pinched her lips as she glared at Austin, completely unaware of me. Perhaps she didn’t have Geneviève’s gifts, or perhaps she wasn’t trained. It didn’t matter. She still said, “One moment.” Then closed the door on us.
“Well…” Austin said.
“We can wait.”
But it didn’t take long. The door opened again, and this time by Geneviève herself, and she ignored Austin, looking at me. “Nice to see you again, Luc. Hope you’re closer to gaining your body.”
“Yes. We have the payments.”
“Good. I have a client right now. But I’ll meet you at the Masonic Temple Cemetery at three a.m.”
“Why there?” Austin grumbled. His face was so expressive. I could read him like a book, and right now, he was frustrated but curious.
“That’s where the zombie is,” she practically spat at him. I wasn’t sure if she disliked him or was simply irritated at his questions. He had a lot, but he also gained information he could use that way. I admired the way his brain worked. He didn’t give himself enough credit for how intelligent he was.
His scowl eased up, but he still asked, “Why?”
“Stop questioning me. It is. Now go.” She shooed him off the stoop, and I laughed. Those two were like oil and water.
“Let’s get over there and wait.” That’s all we had to do anyway, and I enjoyed Austin’s company regardless of where we were.
“I bet there are a lot of spirits there, Luc. You sure you want to go?”
“I’m not afraid of ghosts, Austin.”
“Whatever.” He started walking again. “It’s over an hour away and not far from where I met you.”
It actually took us closer to two hours to get there, and the cemetery was closed, though I could sense other spirits milling around inside. It wasn’t even ten o’clock yet, so we had time to kill. Austin said there was a park nearby where we couldhang out. I assumed that meant to sit around and wait, which was fine with me. I didn’t care where we were. And I didn’t tire, but Austin did. And he looked exhausted. The rings under his eyes were getting darker, making him look bruised and fragile. Resting in a park sounded like what he needed.
I’d learned a lot about Austin in the short time we had been together. One thing was how much he pushed himself. He might have been broke, as he said, but he lived every day with joie de vivre. He had a joy about him, no matter what he did or who was chasing him. I hoped that once we settled this, I could get him to slow down. He needed to rest and eat more often. I was pretty sure he hadn’t eaten since the beignets, and I estimated that to be about two days ago. I wasn’t entirely sure because time did weird things when he wasn’t wearing the ring.
With that in mind, I pointed out an eatery. “Look there.”
“Uh…are you hungry?”
“No, but I bet you are, Austin. Do you have any money left? I bet you have enough for a bite.” The little house with a blue roof set away from the road looked like it mostly had baked goodswhen a sandwich was what he needed, if not a full-on four-course meal. But he could probably afford something they had.
“Well, yeah. I am.”
“We have time. Go in.”
It turned out that he had enough for a sandwich. Since they were closing up, they had pre-made ones for half price. He ordered and we took it to his park, finding a quiet spot where he could eat. It was a dark area, but he could see just fine by the aura my spirit-self gave off. “Want to share?” he asked. “The bread is fresh.”
“No, go ahead. I want to watch you. I’ll be eating soon enough.”
He ate slowly, savoring every bite. He was beautiful. Everything I could hope for in a lover he had. His multi-colored eyes and thick stubble along his jaw since he hadn’t shaved in a few days. I could imagine what it would be like when it came in fully. But his insides were as gorgeous as his outsides. Though I didn’t think he realized it. No one had ever taken the time to figure out what I wanted or needed, but Austin was tuned in to everything about me. And I wanted to know everything about him as well.
Between bites of his food, we talked quietly. “What do you think your body will look like?”
“Don’t know. I don’t think it matters. I haven’t had one in a long time, so no matter what it looks like, I’ll have to get used to it.”
“Mmm…” he swallowed. “I will too. I mean, I’m used to seeing you like this. Mr. snazzy-jazzy. And I like it. A lot. But it’ll be different seeing you in a different body.”
“I’ve been spectral for so long. Without even human interaction. I think. Well, it will take time to get used to, no matter what.”
“Right. I’m sure. Do you? Uh…”
