Hush (Black Lotus #3) (34 page)

I LOOK UP
into the brilliant, rich blue sky. There isn’t a cloud in sight as the sun shines down in rays of glittering warmth. I look around to find I’m surrounded by gigantic, lime-green canopies, but when I take a closer look, I realize they aren’t canopies, but instead, blades of grass.

Carnegie?

My eyes dart down to reveal my bright pink accordion body.

I’m back.

“Hello?” I call out, wondering why I’m all alone, and when I hear a rustling in the distance, I call out again, “Carnegie? Is that you?”

“Elizabeth!” he hollers back, but his accent isn’t right. “Elizabeth!”

No. It can’t be.

“Declan?” I scoot around to see a blue caterpillar emerge from behind a blade of grass.

“Elizabeth,” he exclaims in his unmistakable Scottish brogue as he inches over to me.

“What are you doing in my dream?”

“Dream?” His beady eyes drop in dread.

“What’s wrong?”

“Darling . . .”

“What’s going on?” I question in fear.

“You died.”

Horror fires off inside me as I look at him. “Then . . . Then what are you doing here?”

“Don’t panic.”

“Oh, my God!”

“We’re together, Elizabeth. That’s all that matters.”

“If I’m dead, then . . .”

“I am too,” he tells me. “He shot me right after he shot you.”

“NO!” I cry out, and he’s right here next to me, comforting, “It’s okay, darling. We’re still together. Nothing can hurt us now.”

“But you’re . . . you’re dead because of me!”

“No, baby. You made the right choice. That guy was there for revenge, and no matter what you said, he would’ve killed us anyway,” he tells me. “But look around you. This place is incredible.”

I stare at him in utter shock and ask, “How are you so calm?”

“We’ve both been here for a while, a few days or so, but you’ve been sleeping. I’ve had time to digest it all, but this place doesn’t allow stress to last very long.” He slinks his way closer, running his body along mine, and the moment I feel his touch, my heart settles peacefully.

“We’re okay?”

He nods and then tells me, “We’re not alone either.”

“You mean Carnegie? Did you meet him?”

“I did, but there’s someone else you’re going to want to see.”

“Who?”

“Your brother.”

“Pike?” I perk up in astonishment. “He’s here?”

“He’s out with Carnegie right now gathering berries.”

“You talked to him?”

“Yes, but don’t worry. We’ve had a lot of time to reach an understanding with one another.”

“He’s not a bad guy,” I immediately defend, and he stops me.

“I know that now. Come on. Let’s go find them.”

We maze around enormous flower stems and even more gigantic tree trunks as we scoot together, side by side. Every now and then Declan looks over to me and smiles, which makes me giggle. He’s right, the stress doesn’t last long. As I frolic along, I feel weightless, I feel exuberant, I feel . . . free.

“This way,” Declan tells me before we turn and weave our way through the wooden vines of a berry bush. “It’s a shortcut.”

I look up at the pink berries that are as big as basketballs, and when we come to an opening and make our way out, I see Carnegie. And next to him is a bright red caterpillar.

“Pike?”

“You’re awake!”

“Pike!”

I slink as quickly as I can to him, and he does the same.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” I tell him.

“You can’t get rid of me,” he jokes as he nudges his stumpy head into the side of my tubular body. “You know, when you promised you’d do anything to get us a better life, I didn’t think we’d have to be fucking caterpillars to get it.”

We both laugh and Declan joins in as he sidles up next to me.

“Language, young man,” Carnegie nags in his dapper British accent.

I worm my way closer to my lifelong friend. “Carnegie . . .”

“It’s been far too long, my dear.”

“What is all this?”

“Why, this is your afterlife. Nothing will ever hurt you again, because pain no longer exists. This is where dreams are reality.”

“I told you it would all be okay, darling,” Declan reaffirms.

I release a pleased sigh and lean my head against Declan.

Carnegie looks to us, asking, “So, this is love?”

Gazing into Declan’s eyes, I respond, “This is love.”

Declan and I continue to nuzzle each other tenderly while Carnegie and Pike are off by the pond’s edge. Movement catches my eye, and when I turn to a tall bush next to me, an orange caterpillar appears. It stops and looks at me curiously, and then the beady eyes widen.

“Princess?”

My body sparks in bewilderment. “Dad?”

He rushes over to me, his tiny mouth fighting for the biggest smile.

“What are you doing h—”

Oh, my God. He’s dead.

And suddenly, I see his smile drop when realization hits him that I’m dead too.

He stops moving, and when his eyes slip away from mine, he looks to Declan. “What happened to you two?”

I hold my breath, not wanting my father to feel any guilt that I chose to pay the pay the price for his past—that Declan did too. “You tell me first.”

He scoots a little closer before saying, “The brother of one of the guys I handed over to the feds ran me off the road right after I left the beach the last day we were together. He gave me a choice. He told me I could live and that he would kill you instead or he could just kill me.” My mouth gapes in shock. “Obviously, I gave up my own life.”

“There was never a choice,” Declan tells him.

“What do you mean?”

“That same man paid me and your daughter a visit with the same ultimatum.”

My dad’s eyes dart back to me, and I tell him, “I told him not to hurt you and to kill me instead.”

“You sacrificed your life for me?”

I nod.

“Sweetheart . . .”

“It’s okay, Dad,” I assure him. “Can I ask you something though?”

“Anything.”

“What was your biggest wish when you were living?”

The corners of his mouth lift. “You,” he says. “I always wished to have you in my life.”

My heart floats like a feather. “And my wish was always you, Dad.” My eyes mist over in pure delight. “Our wishes came true.” I turn to face Declan and tell him in amazement, “This is my every wish come true.”

The three of us look at one another as the truth crystallizes. We are a web of wishes come true. We no longer have to creep in the shadows of those who wish us harm. We are finally free from all that has ever haunted us. I know Declan and I would have never been able to find this kind of freedom among the living. It only exists here.

I look around at the magnificently colored flowers that wisp in the breeze above us, I see Pike riding on the back of a dragonfly—happy and whimsical, and then there’s Carnegie, who never has to be alone again because he has us now. I laugh as he watches in merriment at my brother flying around. And my dad, overflowing with boundless mirth as he kisses the top of my head.

“This is all I ever wanted,” he tells me.

I then turn to face Declan—amazed that our love was so powerful that not even death could part us. And then we kiss a kiss that’s never existed until now. It’s serene and vivacious and loving and entirely magical.

This is everything dreams are made of.

This is my fairytale.

Thank you for reading Hush book #3 in the Black Lotus series. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a spoiler-free review on Amazon.com.

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EK BLAIR’S LITTLE BLACK HEARTS

THIS SERIES WAS
a labor of love, and this book in particular! It took many people who love and support me to help me see this story come to fruition. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for the following people.

To my fans, I cannot thank you enough for continuing to love my characters and support my stories. Your loyalty means the world to me. The greatest joy is being able to cut my heart open, pour my blood on the pages, and hand it over to you.

Sally Gillespie, you are one of my biggest blessings! The time you sacrifice for me is simply incredible. Thank you for helping me in the creation of this story. I had a blast working with you on the book. We’ve blushed, we’ve laughed, and we’ve cried more times than I can count, but we did it! You are my backbone, and I’d fall to pieces without you.

Bethany Castaneda, thank you for all the little things you do that are huge things for me! You save me so much time and so many headaches. Whenever I call, you are always there for me. And no matter what, I can always count on you for a good laugh. You keep this boat afloat, and I am so grateful to have you as part of my team.

Jennifer Juers, thank you for your honesty and time. I love that you don’t sugarcoat anything! You never try to appease me; you only want to help me even if it means telling me the cold, hard truth. The time you put in to making this book the best it can be is invaluable! You are my secret weapon.

Mary Elizabeth, damn Daniel! Thank you for inspiring me to be a better writer. Your support, guidance, and friendship are so precious to me.

Ashley Williams, wow! Just WOW! How do I even thank you properly? The hours upon hours you have devoted to this book are downright incredible! You make my words strong, even though you bust my balls to do so. From the early mornings to the late nights, and everything in between, you have been there with me every step of the way through this book. I am looking forward to sharing this experience with you for many books to come. You are an amazing editor and friend!

Lisa Lisa Lisa, my partner in crime, there’s no one I’d rather fight with than you! I cannot say it enough, you are truly a gem. Thank you for always believing in me, for always pushing me to be a better writer, and for not beating around the bush. You give it to me honestly, and even though I dig my heels in the ground because I’m stubborn, I really appreciate all that you do for me. I love you, and I miss you, and you should totally move next door to me so we can always be together!