Chloe wasn’t sure how she was supposed to do this. It had been a long time, and a lot of water had passed under the bridge since she’d last seen him. She’d done all her raging and crying and life-isn’t-fair wailing nineteen years ago.
She knew it hadn’t been his fault. Not really.
But still.
He was the reason she was here, processing souls in the Veil instead of living the perfect life with her perfect husband, her perfect kids, and her perfect damn career.
And now, completely unexpectedly, the object of all that rage was lying just a few feet away.
Sleeping peacefully.
Close enough to touch.
But when she looked at him, really looked? Her anger melted away.
Because she remembered. He’d been just as much a victim in all of that business as she was.
And just like that, she admitted defeat.
She’d rebuilt her afterlife from the rubble he left behind. Piece by jagged piece. She’d thought that meant she’d moved on. But maybe it only meant she was strong enough now to see the truth.
Even though he was the one who’d ended her life, she realised she forgave him.
The ghoul had more scars now. His hair was longer, and he looked thinner, wiry even, but it was him. No mistaking it. She wondered what had finally sent him here, to the Veil.
He probably wouldn’t remember much when he woke up. They rarely did. She’d have to coax it out slowly and gently to stop his mind from shutting down.
The truth was, she never thought she’d come face to face with her killer again. Especially not while she was on duty.
But Fate had a twisted sense of humour.
His eyes were twitching now. The kind of flickering that meant dreaming, and she knew he’d be waking any second. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to process him.
***
There was something here.
Something teasing the edge of memory. A scent, a feeling. Familiar. Distant.
Changing.
Itzal’s eyes flew open.
He gasped, sucking in a lungful of sterile air.
Wait.
That wasn’t right. Was it?
He sat bolt upright, hands flying to his throat, eyes wide with confusion. The light was strange here. Neither bright nor dim, just a soft, grey glow. Ethereal fog stretched in every direction.
Something felt wrong under his fingertips.
And then he realised.
The collar. The one he’d worn for more than twenty years. The mark of his enslavement. The barrier between him and who he really was…
It was gone.
A sound nearby snapped him back to himself.
He wasn’t alone.
He turned slowly, movements sluggish with disorientation. A girl. No, a woman, sat a few feet away, watching him quietly. Dark hair, calm eyes.
Their gazes met.
And Itzal’s heart stuttered.
He knew her.
He remembered.
YOU ARE READING
Nameless Ghoul
ParanormalneA ghoul is summoned illegally and enslaved by a rogue sect of the Clergy. For the past twenty years, an evil Satanic sorcerer has held Itzal captive. He took control of his will, subjecting him to unimaginable horrors, and forced him to commit acts...
