Chapter 227

[ 1,182 words ]

If You Never Come Back.

Macey

The week blurred together in fragments of two lives that didn’t fit in the same body. Monday morning hit like a slap. I’d

barely had time to wash the ash smell from my hair before I was shoved back into mortal rhythm of alarms, coffee, the

chaos of trying to herd the quads out the door, and then school. Normal. Supposedly.

Tessa was waiting at my locker, all grins and glitter, her usual tornado of energy. “Where the hell have you been? You

dropped off the face of the planet! We thought you got grounded or abducted or something p>

“Grounded,” I said, forcing a smile.

Tessa gasped dramatically. “You missed everything! The party was insane. Dean showed up halfway through, and literally

every girl there tried to flirt with him p>

I bit back a sigh. Of course he did. “That sounds… fun p>

As if summoned, Dean appeared at the end of the hallway, leaning against the lockers like he’d been waiting for a

spotlight. His uniform was perfectly imperfect, tie loose, shirt rolled to his elbows, grin aimed squarely at me.

“Hey, Mace,” he drawled, stepping closer. “You really missed out this weekend p>

I lifted a brow. “I’m sure the party survived without me p>

“Barely,” he said, smirking. “We really missed you there, though p>

He said we, but his eyes said me.

I rolled my eyes, but my stomach still fluttered, traitorous and confusing. “Well, I was busy p>

He chuckled, low and easy. “Yeah, so your parents said. I stopped by the packhouse, figured maybe I could talk you into

sneaking out for an hour. Guess I know now where you were hiding p>

If only he knew. By Wednesday, his flirty comments had turned into invitations, coffee after class, a walk home, a trip to

the lake. I’d said no every time, but he had that smile that made no sound temporary. Then, every night after school, Elliot

was waiting. A portal. A quiet nod. The rush of air as we stepped into the Underworld. And everything else just… melted

away. The noise, the expectations, the constant ache of trying to fit into two worlds, it all vanished the moment I felt they

hum of magic under my skin. Down there, it was calm. Warm. Heavy and grounding. I knew who I was there. What I could

rivers caught the edge of his hair, the way his hands steadied mine when I worked the scythe, the way he listened to the

souls like they were saying something only he could hear. He looked like he belonged to the darkness and somehow, it

made him feel like home.

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If You Never Come Back.

But then I’d catch myself. Because home wasn’t supposed to make your heart skip like that. I kept reminding myself: we

aren’t really siblings. Technically, he had parents, real ones. Elias and his mother and father lived right here in the pack

orphanage. And me? My birth parents were ghosts. Names on a sealed record. Envy and my dads had raised me, loved me,

but blood was a different story. So why did the line between us feel like it was fading?

When Dean caught up to me after class on Thursday, his grin was softer than usual. “So, how long’s your sentence last p>

“My what p>

“Your grounding,” he said, hands tucked into his pockets. “When do they finally set you free p>

I hesitated. “End of the week p>

He brightened, stepping closer. “Perfect. Then we’ll make up for it. You missed the party. I owe you a night out. Just you

and me p>

My throat tightened at that last part. “Dean p>

“Come on,” he said, voice low, coaxing. “You deserve a break, Macey. One night. That’s all I’m asking p>

I should’ve said no. But I thought about Elliot, about his smile when he taught me how to guide a soul, about how the

world down there felt smailer and simpler when it was just us. And I thought about how that feeling scared me. Maybe I

did need to feel something different. Something easy. Something that wasn’t laced with impossible boundaries and

unspoken truths.

So I nodded. “Okay. One night p>

Dean grinned, triumphant, and I tried to ignore the sharp twist in my chest.

The last day of my grounding felt strange. The Underworld had become something I’d grown used to again. Every day I’d come home covered in ash and the faint shimmer of magic, but I’d also come home lighter and calmer. My hands didn’t

shake with nerves as much anymore. My mind didn’t buzz. Elliot never said it aloud, but I knew he’d noticed. So when I stepped into my room that night and saw the dress laid out across my bed, my chest ached before I even touched it. It was breathtaking. A dark, gothic princess gown spun from shadows and silk. The bodice shimmered with black beads that

caught the candlelight, and the layered skirt trailed like smoke down the side of the mattress. Beside it was a small note

written in that familiar handwriting of his:

Just one more night. Come downstairs. Let me pretend you’re still my princess. If you never come back here, I’ll have this

memory.

I pressed the note to my chest, staring down at the dress until the words blurred. He’d always known how to undo me with

the simplest things. When I finally slipped into it, it fit like it had been made for me. My reflection in the mirror startled

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If You Never Come Back.

belonged to him.

I hesitated at the top of the stairs, heart pounding. Then I saw the glow from below. The dining room had been

transformed. Candles lined every surface, flickering in crystal holders that cast the whole space in golden light. The long

black table was set for two, plates gleaming, silver cutlery catching the fire’s reflections. A soft melody played from

somewhere unseen, a haunting violin piece. Elliot stood at the far end of the table, wearing a dark shirt that matched the

shadows and an expression that nearly broke me. When he saw me, he went utterly still.

“You look…” His voice faltered for a second. “You look like you were made for this place p>

I smiled, shyly. “That’s a compliment, right p>

His lips curved faintly. “The highest kind p>

He came forward slowly, offering his hand. “Dance with me p>

I hesitated, just long enough for him to notice, and then I nodded. “One dance p>

He smiled like I’d just given him the world.

Comments

Kitten_81

Ellie is so know how to make a girl melt i love him so bad don’t

7 days ago

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周

3/3

1:03 am PP

Goddess Of The Underworld

Juliet Zvayi

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