Haunted Devotion

29.

A month later...

I had no other choice but to return to my body, of course I needed help so Gerald did what was needed and I was me again.

I had helped Yerlin get back into HQ and returned back to work under the conditions of having my relics back which they did.

I've been working non-stop not even having time to sleep because when I sleep, images of Nolan falling with the ground kept replaying drastically each time.

No one knew that he had possessed Linus' body but me.

So when a missing person's post went up about it, I tried my best not to be around when people started asking questions.

On the other hand I had to also learn to accept Gerald was in fact my blood father.

He's explained how it all happened with Rowen and him, apologized a million times, just overall trying to be better than what they've put me through.

Was difficult to stop calling him Gerald and replace it with dad but we're working on it little by little.

"Got your pager? Coordinates? Cigarettes?" Gerald says as I tie my coat while adjusting the strap in the front.

"Yerlin is still pissy, isn't he?" I ask still not used to him being so fatherly directly.

Gerald nods, "But he is appreciative of you helping him earn his spot back."

I nodded, "Coffee?" I turned while seeing his hand out already with a coffee mug.

Half smiling, I take it, taking sips then heading to the car to a case off Maitland Bridge.

"This one seems like the regular curse m.o," I look at the file Yerlin faxed over before we headed to the car.

Gerald opens the backseat door letting me in as I bury my nose into the paperwork.

"It involves those twins, Saddie and Giddie Hermalton."

Closing the file I light a cigarette as I place it in my mouth, "Well let's see how it goes."

Gerald starts the car driving us to the location going across Maitland Bridge to where the Hermalton's reside.

Once we parked a block away, we could already see the twins frantically all over the place.

"You idiot! You played with his feelings and now he has put a curse on us!"

Saddie says to her twin sister as she's pacing around on the front lawn.

Giddie waves her sister off, not taking her insult seriously as she's waiting for me to show up.

When she hears my heels clicking on the sidewalk she rushes over holding my hand happily.

"Oh! Thank goodness!"

I pat her hand while her sister tugs me over by my other hand forcing me inside like a rag doll.

"Fix it. Fix this damn curse."

I see the cutlery dancing around, brooms sweeping by itself and a spray can writing profanity all over the dining room walls.

"Wow," I chuckled.

I haven't seen a Beauty and the Beast Curse in a while, shocked someone would even remember how to cast it.

"Fix it please! This is all her fault!" Saddie yelped while pointing to her sister.

Giddie scoffs, "How else would we have survived with little to no money if I hadn't charmed him?"

Saddie was getting ready to pull her sister's hair until I got in the middle.

"Relax, it'll be gone by the end of today," I take out what I need and start cleansing the house room by room then stop once I see Linus's face reflecting off a mirror in one of the bedrooms.

"Nolan?" I rushed over but once I entered there was no one there.

Scurrying to the other rooms, I tried to find more mirrors but there weren't any.

"Nolan!" I hollered out but only got strange looks from the twins as they walked by to see how the cleanse was going.

Gerald heard me shout rushing in with a worried parent look, "Everything alright?"

The twins Saddie and Giddie nodded but then looked at me knowing I wasn't.

"I-I'm sorry," I did the last steps to the cleanse, made sure it was cleared then left walking past the car lost in thought.

"Devlin," Gerald called out but I kept seeing Linus' face...Nolan's face.

I get stopped by Gerald having me look up to him dazed.

"What happened back there? Why did you call out to Nolan?"

The image of him falling through the ground...the words I love you burning a hole in my brain...

All I could do was shrug my shoulders with the hope of not crying out in public.

"Was he there? Did you see him?"

I gulped turning, holding my head feeling crazy.

"What's wrong with me? I never wanted this! I didn't want him. It was all a mistake like I said from the start. How can I be so desperately yearning over him when all I wanted was to be free from it all?"

Gerald sighs empathetically, "Do you think we have a say in who we fall for? The heart is a funny bugger I'll tell you that."

Shaking my head, I fight against the current of emotions building up inside of me.

"I can't be in love with him...it was just to save my life...he did it to save my life."

Trailing more and more into my words, I see Gerald giving me a small smile, hoping I would realize it wasn't anything but love I was feeling for Nolan.

"I think it's time you stopped forcing yourself with work and sit with how you truly feel."

Guiding me back to the car, Gerald takes me home and I go into the foyer, down the hall into my room.

A shower or maybe a bath would help soothe these radio static thoughts of mine.

Removing my clothing, tossing it to the floor, I let the water fill to the brim of the tub while letting it cool as it was a bit steamy.

Once it was warm enough to soak in, I let the water swallow me, only leaving my head propped up on the surface grabbing my bath cloth to wash my arms and chest.

After a few minutes I closed my eyes placing the cloth at the edge of the tub letting the trickling sound from the faucet calm me entirely.

The bath water moves just a little as if someone got in with me, making me open my eyes.

My heart rapidly fluttered as I saw it was Linus–Nolan sitting with me completely unclothed as I was.

"Hey love," Once those words left his mouth I threw myself on him holding him close not caring I was bare against their skin.

"It was you earlier...wasn't it?" I questioned in their neck as they wrapped their arms around my waist.

Nestling their face in my shoulder, they just kissed it softly while holding me to them.