ALL US VILLAINS

Chapter Twenty-Five

Liam awakes to the smell of sweet vanilla and the feeling of warmth on his chest. His eyes slowly open, half blinded by the sunlight streaming into the room. Diana's face is looking toward him, a vision of peace and serenity. Strands of her white hair fan over her face.

Slowly, the prince reaches a hand toward her to brush back one of her curls. His fingers linger for a few seconds before he rests his hand onto her arm. Diana does not stir from the small touches, remaining in a deep sleep.

He gently traces the curve of her arm with his fingertips. Goosebumps raise along the woman's arms from his touch, but she remains asleep.

"The two of you seem to have become very well acquainted," Andrew states from behind Liam.

Snapping his head in the ghost's direction, a sense of guilt overwhelms the prince. Last night, Liam had lost himself to his emotions. He had acted irrationally and without thought. The prince had slept with the sorceress, who his brother was once madly in love with in life.

He rolls out of his bed in a manner that does not disturb the sorceress. Then, he makes his way to his bathroom so that he can speak to Andrew without the possibility of being interrupted. As soon as the door closes behind him, Liam faces his brother's ghost.

Andrew is barely transparent at this point. His connection with this world has incrementally grown stronger over the weeks, but this is something entirely new. It almost feels as though he is properly here.

Liam avoids his brother's gaze, staring at the wall behind Andrew. "Last night never should have happened," he claims.

For a man that walked in on the aftermath of his ex-fianceé and his younger brother's sex, Andrew looks remarkably calm. He almost seems delighted about the situation. "Yes, it should have," the ghost responds. "It needed to happen so that you could stop denying your feelings toward Diana."

The guilt chokes the prince, making his cheeks redden with shame. He knew about Andrew and Diana's previous relationship. He knew that they both still loved each other, though they are now separated between life and death.

Diana does not even know that she did not murder Andrew. This entire time, Liam has continued to let her torture herself believing that she killed the man that she loved.

He has to make it right. All of it. Liam needs to tell Diana the truth.

"I need to tell her the truth," Liam informs his brother. "I need to tell her everything."

When he goes to leave, Andrew reaches out to stop him. The ghost's hand makes contact with his bare shoulder, immediately freezing Liam in place. He can feel a coldness bite at his flesh from Andrew's touch— like metal left out in winter for too long.

He looks at Andrew, who smiles with wicked delight. "It worked!" He shouts. A delighted laugh leaves the man's lips while he stares at the spot where his hand is making contact with Liam's shoulder.

Liam steps away from the ghost, feeling the dull ache of pain reaching his bones. The moment the pair are no longer touching, the warmth returns to Liam's body. "What worked? Why can you make contact with me?"

There's something evil about the look on his older brother's face. His brown eyes light up with devilish delight while he steps toward his brother. "You do not understand how long I have been trying to do this. Since the very moment of my death, I have tried to reach out to you."

Shaking his head, Liam retreats. "I don't understand—"

"Five years, Liam! I have been trying to possess your body for five years so that I can return to my old life." Andrew flexes his fingers, staring at the tips that are slowly starting to blacken. "Originally, I thought you had to believe Diana to be innocent on your own, but I was still too weak to do it." The blackness passes his fingertips, fading into his wrists. His pupil begins to spread over the rest of his eyes, slowly staining them black. "Then, I thought that she had to love you. So, I kept my mouth shut and let the two of you interact." The ghost rolls out his shoulders. "And then I thought that you had to love her, so I tried to get you to admit your feelings toward her."