Queen of Ruin(Book three of the Immortals Series)
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE WHEREVER YOU GO

The crushing silence pushed on Haldir's ears, and the piercing whistle it made lifted the little hairs on his arms when he noticed the sounds of Tessa humming and chattering to herself didn't resonate in the hall this morning. Finding something else to occupy her time with should have made him happy, but whenever she had a second of peace like that, it sent a shiver through him because it was usually just the pause before a storm that left her bathed in blood. The pads of his fingertips pulsed with a rush of fear when he gripped the doorway, and he closed his eyes before he made the corner. Twice he found her near death right there on her floor, and he swore to himself that the third time, he wouldn't intervene. If she was hellbent on reaching what laid beyond this world, he wouldn't stand in her way any longer.

A breath of relief fell from his lungs when he found her with two dresses laid before her as she tried to decide between them. "What time are you planning on leaving today, Tess?"

The length of the towel spun around her head, and she shrugged her shoulders at Haldir's reflection as she tucked in the corner. "I don't know, whenever I get dressed, I reckon."

The corner of his mouth turned up as he wrinkled his nose and calculated the driving time in his head. "That gets you there right about suppertime." He tapped his fingers on the doorway and pointed at her. "Alright. Let me go get your car ready."

"Wait." She turned around and crossed her arms across the towel that covered her as Haldir stepped into her bedroom. "I need to ask you something."

Every conversation with her became more difficult for Haldir to tip-toe around the truth, and every question became harder to answer without Teddy there to deflect her attention. He rubbed the preemptive stress from the back of his neck and raised his brow. "Of Course."

Her eyes fell to the white card with gold writing in her bag, and she gave it a smile before turning back to him. "When I come home, I want you to take me to the Realm. I'm ready."

A sighed that told Tessa he disapproved came from his nose before sitting on the edge of her bed. "Are you certain that's what you want? I don't want you to think I'm trying to push you; I just don't want you to suffer anymore, Tess." "No. No. No." She waved her hand and shook her head before she leaned against her vanity. "I want this. Teddy's gone, and Rafik..." Her fingertips pressed into her throat to push back the pain as she sniffed back her tears and nodded. "I'm sure about this; there's nothing left here for me on Earth. I want to be with Momma and Daddy."

After giving it a second to think about, he nodded because he knew it was the best thing for everyone. "Alright, but you need to talk with your brother. You don't want to leave things unsettled when you go."

A growly scoff shot from her throat as she rolled her eyes away. "I'm sure that will go well."

The corner of his mouth turned up as a shot of air left his nose when he pushed himself up and pointed his finger in her shoulder. "These will be the last words you speak to him in a very, very long time, Tess. Just remember that." When she heard his feet retreating in the hall, she pulled her black dress over her head and wiggled it down her body. Most of the previous night was spent working on the newest creation that she lifted from the vanity and snapped back and forth. "Let's see what we got."

The spicy, red concoction glided across her pouty mouth that hardly wore a smile anymore. A dash of sugar and vanilla with the cinnamon and clove this time pulled it all together, and when her smooth pink tongue slid across her lips, she realized she got it nearly perfect this time.

Her lips rubbed back and forth through the slickness of the spiced cider-flavored gloss as she pushed the wand inside the tiny glass tube.

The invitation to Teddy's wedding stared up from her bag, and she rubbed at the dull ache in her throat as it reminded her that he would never be coming home again. The burning pressure in her chest that started when the words wedding met her eyes was harder and harder to wake up to every day.

Time and time again, he set his happiness on the back burner for her, so she swore to herself no matter how much she hurt and how much he protested, she would let him go. She loved him too much to go on being his burden. The lip gloss landed on the invitation that sat atop her special black nighty and the number of a particularly talented female companion from Virginia that Billy recommended before she pulled the closure of her bag together.

As her fingers tapped the photo of her parents in the hallway when she passed by, it was like a burst of sunlight found its way into her little black heart, knowing that she would be able to wrap her arms around them again. "See you soon."

The icy gush of anxiety gathered at the base of her spine as her feet stepped down the stairs. A faint, old melody blew in on the breeze from the garden window the caretaker left open, and a fresh dose of guilt spilled from her eyes. Like she was wrapped in a hundred sets of loving arms, the tingly heaviness of the ghostly presence sat on her skin as he matched her steps from the other side of the glass.

When her toe hit the seam at the threshold on the front door, her chin brushed against the furry fibers of her black cashmere sweater as she glanced back across the foyer and wiggled her fingers to the shadow in the courtyard. "I love you." The soft cotton rag slid over the slick wax with ease as Haldir wiped off the last coat. As he took a few steps back, he crossed his arms over the blue t-shirt that matched his eyes and admired all his hard work because he was sure Tessa's antique, white Jaguar never shined so well.

There were few things a human-born person could do for a witch like her, but his small little fatherly gestures like this made him feel a bit less useless.

When the slap of her black ballet flats against the bricks on the walk flicked across his ears, he peeked back over his shoulder. The reflection in his sunglasses got taller until she leaned into him and pressed her lips against his cheek. "Looks good. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Tossing the rag across his chest into the yellow bucket on the sidewalk, he slid his hand into his back pocket. He held his freckled hand out with his credit card between his fingers and peeked over his sunglasses. "Emergencies and a pair of shoes isn't an emergency, nor is the racetrack."

The silly grin and girly lash batting roll of her eyes was a glimpse of the little girl he left at the card table as she snatched the plastic and tucked it into her bra. "Don't worry, old man; I'll guard it with my life."

After dropping her bag on the passenger seat through the window, he wrapped his arm around her back. "You sure you don't want me to come with you, Tess? I promise I'll stay out of your way."

Even though she hoped he would hop in the car regardless of what she said, she shook her head no. "He always ends up with his panties in a bunch when you're around, and I don't feel like fighting with him anymore. I just want everything to be cool when I say goodbye."

"Well, I can be there in a heartbeat, so don't hesitate to call me if you need to." As he inched around to the driver's side, he tucked her against his hip. "In fact, call me every time you stop for gas, Tess, or if you want someone to keep you company."

The bright glint of light from the highly polished door handle pierced her eye, and the whispered memory she couldn't place escaped through her ears in warning of what lay ahead. "Alamo, Tessa."

While he held her door open, she shook off Teddy's voice in her head, and her vacant eyes fluttered up to meet Haldir's. "You don't have to worry about me." When he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head, she sank into his chest. "But thank you for doing it anyway."

Softly rubbing her back, the hum of his cigarette seasoned voice vibrated against her chest. "Your brother loves you; give him a chance, Tess."

Her little button nose wrinkled as she winked her eye, and her finger jabbed his belly. "I'll try. I'll see you in a week or two."

The sinking sensation in his palm as he lifted his hand to wave goodbye when she pulled away from the curb took him back to the day she left for England. His eyes lifted to the sky, and he begged Fate to be kinder to her this time. "Take care of my girl."

When she merged on the interstate, she slid on her sunglasses, and her little crooked finger poked at the buttons that Haldir programmed for her. "I'm sorry I had to miss our date, baby. Teddy's getting married, so I needed to go out of town for a few days."

The first twangy notes of the guitar came through the speakers, and she closed her eyes for a moment until his fingertips met her cheek and wiped away her tears.

A static moved down her arm until it met her hand, and his fingertips tickled the soft place between her fingers as he closed his hand around hers. "It's alright, Rohi. You take me with you wherever you go.'