“What was her name?” I asked.

“Don’t you know?” he asked with an edge to his voice.

“No, actually. I haven’t asked her. I don’t know anything about her death, either. I was told she was killed by a Demigod, but not how or why. I can ask her, if you like. I was just giving you an opportunity to answer.”

“Be my guest.” He waved me on before leaning back in his chair and throwing a large leg over the small armrest. It came to my attention that he wasn’t wearing underwear, and also that he needed a lot of patches for those pants.

I looked at the lady, her hand resting on the back of his chair, and lifted my eyebrows.

“I’m sorry for his behavior,” she said, her face pulled down. If she could cry, I knew she would be. “He is a good man. A just man. He’s in pain and he’s lost his way.”

“Didn’t you hear him? You were the one that quelled his rage. Without you, he’s fighting to keep his head above water. Sometimes we need to lose our way for a while to find ourselves again. Maybe he still needs more time. I don’t know. He’s not much of a talker. What’s your name, before we go on?”

“Caily,” she said. “But he calls me Sweet Rose.”

“Well I’m not going to call you Sweet Rose.” Like I’d predicted, he jumped, and like I’d only hoped, he pulled his leg off the armrest, closing up the peep show. “Did you cross over after your death, Caily?”

“Not at first. I didn’t realize—”

I held up a hand. “Do you want me to tell him this, or…?”

“Tell me everything,” Jerry said hungrily.

“It’s not up to you, Jerry,” Donovan said from the other side of the room.

“Yeah, Jerry, you get no say in ghost behaviors,” Thane said.

Jerry pretended not to hear.

“You can tell him, yes,” Caily said with a sad smile. “We had no secrets.” I gave Jerry a thumbs-up as she went on. “I still don’t know what I did to anger the Demigod. Something with the Demigod’s garden, though no one would say what. My death came out of nowhere, with my back turned. Suddenly I was standing beside my body, my head rolling away, and the Demigod’s henchman was standing over me with a bloody sword.”

“Good heavens, what a thing to witness,” Red murmured after I’d relayed Caily’s words.

“I’d prefer that over thinking I’d hurt a kid,” Jack said, over with the other spirits and Harding near the entrance of the cave. Prior to his death, a Possessor had used his body to hurt Mordecai and Daisy.

Why Harding had decided to lump himself in with them, watching silently and intently, I didn’t know. He didn’t usually hang out with the hired help, as he thought of them.

“Soon enough, though, I saw the pulsing beacon,” Caily went on. “It pulled at me, promising to soothe the trauma of the event. But seeing my ruined body didn’t bother me nearly as much as knowing that I’d never see my knight again. I’d never stroll with him through our garden—a modest affair, but ours all the same. I’d never whisper secrets to him beneath the elm tree, or sneak kisses behind the sequoia grove where he proposed. I’d never get my white wedding under a canopy of vines and lilies. Worst of all, I’d never get to tell him goodbye.”

I wiped a stray tear, the agony in her voice matching that on Jerry’s face as I relayed her words. “You can tell him now, Caily. Through me.” She stepped toward me, and I motioned her back. “No, no. Not through me, like possessing me. I mean I’ll relay what you say.”

She turned and looked at him, and I told Jerry of her positioning so he could look back.

“You made me the happiest I’ve ever been,” she said softly, her voice like the mist before rain. “I never thought I’d be so lucky as to find someone like you, and I am forever thankful that I got to know true love before the Great Mother tucked me into the earth. Please be easy, my love. Do not mourn. For I have a great garden in the beyond, filled with all the things we loved. I’ve even put in your moody corner, so when you join me, there will be a place for you to retreat when the vibrancy of the colors annoys your rocky soul.”

“Ask her if she thinks he should stay in this stinky pit of despair,” Bria said after I’d repeated everything. She’d gotten comfortable, stretching out on her side with her head propped on her hand. “Someone needs to talk sense into him.”

“I would join you now,” Jerry said, tears in his eyes and choking on his words. He wiped his runny nose. “I would join you right now.”

Caily’s smile was sweet. “Then you would have so very few stories to entertain me with when we meet again. Live your life. Live it to its fullest. Experience everything as though it will be your last. Find love again.”

“Never,” Jerry spat, sobbing silently. “I could never.”

“Time does not exist where I am, my love. Live your life. And when I blink next—not before—I will see you again.”

“I love you,” Jerry said. “I miss you, every day. Every second. I can barely think straight for missing you.”

“Be easy. I am at rest. I am waiting for you. Gather those stories, and then we will laugh once again.”

He hunched over, his whole body shaking as he sobbed, great heaves of his huge body. It seemed as though he was experiencing her death all over again. This time, though, he’d have closure. This time, he would be able to move on, because she had allowed him to.

“Thank you for telling him,” she said to me, and I wanted to remember that kind smile forever. It was so loving and sweet, so joyful and full of life, yet also so sad.

“You’re welcome,” I whispered.

She watched Jerry for a few moments longer before turning and looking around, obviously searching for an exit.

“Here.” I summoned the Line for her, a quick portal back to her resting place.

Before she crossed, she half turned back to me. “If you have someone you love, make sure to let them know. Show them every day. Every hour. Savor each kiss, and remember each touch. You will never miss anything more than those that you’ve loved and lost.”

I repeated her words, even as they sank down into my core. Longing, my longing, infused the soul link I shared with Kieran. I would do exactly as she said as soon as he arrived. With all the danger we faced, we could be taken from each other at any moment, ripped apart. While we had physical bodies, I wanted to make sure we used them to express our love for each other as often as possible, just like Caily had said.

“Give me a moment,” Jack said from beside the door before getting up and walking out. Chad followed, digging his hands into his ghostly pockets. They were probably thinking of those they’d left behind, family and friends. Acquaintances they’d never sit and chat with. Jack definitely missed the times he’d cooked dinners with Donovan, the two of them cracking jokes and snickering. The other spirits stayed as they were, watching.

“Let’s all take a minute,” I said, leaving Jerry to his emotion and standing, moving deeper into the caves.

“Wait, are you gonna snoop?” Bria asked quietly when she caught up. “Because I’d be in for that.”